Sailor Moon: F (Fate)- Beginning of a New Era
by Angels of Fate
Summary: Chapter 13 finally up! Sorry for the delay. Discl.: I don't own any
1. The Beginning

I am Kerensa Nile. You can call me Ren. My story begins what seems like an eternity ago, but was actually not that far back. I considered myself a normal girl, growing up in New York City with my three friends, Tessia, Ariana, and Kariana. We went to the same school and did everything together. We still do, but what we do now is not by any stretch of the imagination normal. We fight evil now.  
  
I suppose I'd better explain how all of this came about. It's not a short story. As I said, I was living in New York City with my friends. Perhaps I should introduce us all properly. I'll start with myself.  
  
I'm Ren. I'm 16 years old, and an only child. My father died when I was young, I don't remember him very well. My mother works at a big corporation. We aren't close. I have short auburn hair, and big hazel eyes. I'm extremely petite, but looks can be deceiving. My personality is, in a word, colorful. I'm considered intelligent, and definitely talkative.  
  
My best friends are (in no particular order): Tessia Teraina, and the twins, Ariana and Kariana Cosmos. Tessia is a sweet girl. She's almost too nice for her own good sometimes. She's taller than me, with shoulder length blondish-brown hair and deep brown eyes. The twins have long red hair and gleaming green eyes. Ana is a little taller than Kari, and they're both taller than Tess and myself. Ariana is zany; she always knows how to have fun and make the best out of any situation. Kariana is sarcastic. While not always an optimist, she is as smart as a whip. The two of them together are a riot. Almost makes me wish I had a sister or brother. Tess and Kariana have pet cats. Their names are Hoshi and Eclipse, repectively. I always wanted a cat. That is where this whole thing started.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The four of us were walking home from school one day when we heard a faint mewwing on the steps of my apartment building. Looking down, we saw a little grey kitten. It had no tags, and so we brought it into my family's apartment.   
  
"Aww, look at it! Isn't she the cutest little thing?" Tess said, as I placed a saucer of milk in front of the cat. The kitten greedily lapped it up.  
  
"I hope Mother will let me keep her," I replied wistfully. I had always wanted a pet cat, but never mentioned it to my mother, who was never home anyway.   
  
My friends and I did our homework, and then they went home. I sighed and looked at the kitten, who had been sleeping soundly for almost an hour. Just then my mother came home.  
  
"Mother, there is something important I need to ask you. I found a kitten today and would like to keep it. May I please, Mother? I've always wanted one," I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes.  
"Kerensa, I didn't know that... Well, I suppose you could. But you had better take care of it yourself. I am not going to clean up after some cat. If you don't, out it goes." My mother had been taken by surprise but was too tired to actually argue. I couldn't believe my luck.  
  
"Thank you!" I sang, and carried the now drowsy kitten to my room and placed her on my bed.  
  
"Now, what can I call you?" I thought out loud.   
  
"Diana..." It was a faint noise, and I spun around quickly. The kitten was staring at me with questioning eyes.   
  
"You didn't... I couldn't have... I must have imagined that. All the same, I like the name Diana, and I think I'll call you that." I swore the cat smiled at me.  
  
Life continued as usual. My friends and I became very attached to Diana, and frequently took her to play with Hoshi and Eclipse. Until the fateful day we found the three of them in deep conversation.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I think it's time to tell them!" Diana was saying in a high-pitched voice.  
  
"We need to be sure they're prepared. This is no easy undertaking, Diana!" Hoshi's reply was not harsh.  
  
"I agree with Diana, Hoshi. I feel they are ready. They have been preparing, even though they don't know it yet." Eclipse had a soft, delicate voice.   
  
The four of us had just walked into to Kariana's room and stood gaping at the talking cats. They turned around and saw us standing there, their eyes growing wider.  
  
"Oh dear, now this is a bit of a quandry." Hoshi was the first to speak.  
  
"You... You can talk?!?!" Ariana cried incredulously. The cats merely nodded in reply.  
  
"But how? Why? You're... Cats!" I had finally found my voice. Apparently, so had the rest of my friends.  
  
"WHAT is going on?!" That was Kariana.  
  
"Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my..." Tessia didn't know what to think.  
  
"Well, maybe we had better, er, start from the beginning, shall we? Let's sit down." Eclipse was gentle and persuasive. We all sat on the bed, staring at the cats at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Hoshi and I are your guardians. Our friends, Artemis and Luna, are guardians of the Sailor Scouts, and Diana is their daughter. She was sent with a message for us to prepare you to become the new Sailor Scouts because there is a problem in Juuban, where the Scouts are!" Eclipse finished with gusto.  
  
"Darien isn't really Darien! You have to help us, it's your job to!" Diana was ecstatic.  
  
"Woah, hold on there, kitten. I'm sure we have them confused enough already." Hoshi was being practical. "Eclipse has already started off well. I'll take it from here."  
  
"As my friends have stated, you are the new Sailor Scouts. You each have your own Sailor identity and powers, which we must find out soon. Eclipse and I were sent to you when we first became aware that you were the chosen ones. We have been training you without your knowledge that we are doing so. We were waiting for Diana to begin the more, er, extensive training, which requires your full cooperation." He peered at us expectantly.  
  
"Wait. Let me get this straight. Three cats are telling us that we have special powers? Other identities?" Kariana was having a hard time digesting it.  
  
"I don't know if the Scouts know about you, but since we were sent to you, we must carry out our mission." Eclipse was nodding in earnest.  
  
"I would ask you all if you accept this, but it's not a question." Hoshi stated matter-of-factly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"How do you know who each of us is? What our other identies are?" Tessia was unexpectedly curious.  
  
"Er, we don't. Yet." Diana's reply was not a comforting one.  
  
"Can't you just ask those Scout people you mentioned? And who's Darien?" Ariana was always curious.  
  
"I'm afraid the other Scouts have no knowledge of your existence. We must figure it out on our own. Now, each Sailor Scout has their own crystal that they use to transform. Each one of you must have something similiar..." Eclipse's voice held a pleading note.  
  
"Hmm... Crystal... Hey! I've got it!" I triumphantly remembered our necklaces.  
"Girls, remember when we were young? Our friendship necklaces? Where did we get them?" I asked excitedly. No one could remember. However, we were all wearing them. Since we were 5, we had never taken them off. None of us knew why; we just felt we should wear them all the time, as a sign of our friendship.  
"They must be it!" Hoshi was excited now. "Show them to me." I removed mine and handed it to the cat, who examined it closely in his paws.  
  
"Yes, I think this is it! We must try them. Who would like to go first?" The four of us hesitated. Ariana had a sudden burst of courage and agreed to try.  
"What do I do?" She asked.  
  
"I know! I remember Rini telling me. Oh.... Let me think." Diana furrowed her brow.  
  
"As long as you're wearing your necklace, you can transform. That's it! You just have to shout out your identity and then 'Tranform Power!'" Diana exclaimed happily, "And the identies... There were four! They are... Umm... Let's see, Earth, Nova (Light), Darkness, oh what is the last one? Oh, yes, gravity! Of course! Now which one of you is which?" This had her puzzled.  
  
"We'll try them in order, ok, Ariana? Yell Earth first." Hoshi was always practical.  
  
Still somewhat befuddled, Ariana stood in the middle of the room and shouted.   
  
"Earth Transform Power!" Nothing happened.   
  
"Try Nova next."  
  
"Nova Transform Power!" Still, nothing.  
  
"Well, two down, two to go. Darkness."  
  
"Darkness Transform Power!" Suddenly, light burst from the pendant around Ariana's neck. She was raised from the ground and surrounded by the light. She began to spin and her clothes flashed, and then changed into a gray bodysuit with matching skirt, and black trim. A silver band with what looked like an onyx stone in the middle appeared across her forehead, and black heeled boots were now on her feet. She stopped spinning and was lowered to the ground. The light around her vanished and Ariana was no longer in the room. She had become Sailor Darkness.  
  
"Look at me!" She gasped.  
  
"I want to go next!" Her twin was impatient.  
  
"Go ahead, same order. Earth first," Eclipse nodded in approval.  
  
"Earth Transform Power!" Kariana waited, "I suppose Nova is next?" The cats nodded.  
  
"Nova Transform Power!" A light now burst from her necklace. She, too, was lifted up and began spinning. When she had stopped and had returned to the floor of the room, Sailor Nova was wearing a pale yellow bodysuit with white trim, a matching skirt, and had a silver band with mother of pearl around her head. Her boots were white. She admired herself.  
  
"This is pretty cool. The twins are opposites!" I couldn't help myself, "Tess, how about you go next?" She obliged me.  
  
"Earth Transform Power!" And the process repeated itself. When she had finished, she stood in a beige suit with brown trim and boots, a silver band with tiger's eye in the middle on her head.   
  
"Thank God I have a full length mirror in here," Kariana said.  
  
"I suppose that leaves Gravity for me, eh?" I grinned.  
  
"Gravity Transform Power!" And for the fourth and final time, the room glowed.  
  
I reappeared wearing a lilac and purple bodysuit and skirt, with an amethyst headband and high heels.   
  
The cats were all smiling their approval.   
  
"Splendid! Oh, this fits wonderfully! From now on, we will call you by your Scout names: Earth, Nova, Darkness, and Gravity." Hoshi was very pleased with the turn of events. He hesitated, "There is something else you should know. We don't know why, but Gravity and Nove are your, er, co-captains, so to speak."  
  
The four of us stood looking at each other. For how new and different we looked, it felt natural. As if we knew all along we had secret superidentities, we felt comfortable in the short-skirted uniforms. I wondered why I got heels instead of boots.  
  
"Maybe because you're so short, Ren, the boots would've been all the way up your leg!"  
  
I threw a pillow at Kari in response. My height doesn't actually bother me, but I still pretend to get mad at me when they make jokes about it.   
  
"I always wondered if there would be more of them... Who they would be, what they would look like...," Diana voice was soft and thoughtful.  
  
"When can we begin training?" Kari always was up for fighting.   
  
"Soon... We need to test your attacks and powers, but that requires room, and, er, we're in the middle of a city...," Eclipse was thoughtful, "Kari, I remember a field we went to once, where was it?"  
  
"Oh, that's outside the city. It's about a half hour's walk if you hurry."   
  
"Well let's get going then! Er, Shouldn't we change back first?"  
  
"I didn't think of that. Yes, I suppose so. It wouldn't due for someone to see you walking around dressed like that, what, with us not knowing your capabilities yet." Hoshi replied.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Nice place," said Diana, surveying the wide expanse of quiet field they were now standing in. The girls had just re-transformed.  
  
"Now, Tess, you first. We need to figure out what your attack is..." For once, Hoshi was at a loss.  
  
"Hoshi, let me think... I don't know why but I feel there's something to do with rope in my attack... Something with nature. Yes, I think I can control a few natural elements," Tess grinned. She loved the outdoors.  
  
"That could be possible. Maybe we should try some physical training first. Prepare you for the use of the powers..." Hoshi's voice trailed off. The four girls grinned.  
  
"I'll take Ana; Tess, you can have Kari!" The cats had no way of knowing we regularly practiced fighting. We went at it. When I had Ana pinned and Tess was on the groud with Kari on top of her, we finally looked at the cats. They were staring at the four of us with their mouths hanging open, their expressions mirroring the ones we had worn when we first discovered them talking.  
  
"Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise," Hoshi cleared his throat. Their amazement was replaced with pleased smiles.   
  
"I suppose we can only wait for now. We should try and figure out what your powers are, but we mustn't do anything until we're sure. Powers aren't something to play around with," Diana said solemnly. Something in her tiny voice didn't sound right, but the girls let it go.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The four of us had a sleepover that night to celebrate our newfound identities. We invited the cats. They were delighted to come. Long after everyone else had fallen asleep, Kari and I stayed up into the night talking.  
  
"Co-captains? What do you suppose he meant?" I asked her.  
  
"I don't know... I suppose that means we're the leaders, together," she replied thoughtfully.   
  
"Yeah, I guess. That makes the most sense. Both of us? I suppose they want us to keep each other in check," I giggled.  
  
Although we both laughed, I could tell we were both a little worried what our new lives would entail.   
  
The next morning, I woke up to the smell of pancakes on the stove. I followed my nose to the kitchen where Ana and Tess were cooking breakfast.   
  
"Mmgmning," I mumbled and took a seat at the table. After we had all eaten and washed up, we were more awake. We had one problem; we couldn't think of a single thing to do. The problem was solved for us.  
  
"Girls, we've talked about it, and we've come to a definite conclusion. We need to go to Serena. Diana and Eclipse will go, and I'll stay here with you," Hoshi said. We looked at each other like he was a talking cat. Oh, wait, he is. We looked at each other like he had grown three heads. There, that's better.  
  
"Would you be able to secure our safety for travel to Juuban?" Eclipse asked almost timidly.  
  
"Of course, but you can't go alone, you're cats! How would you get through customs?!"   
  
"Oh, right, hadn't though of that."  
  
"Hmm, well this is a quandry. I don't suppose you could travel with us?"  
  
"No that'd be out of the question." The cats went back and forth.  
  
"Well, we could use a vacation...," Ana grinned. The cats stopped their slight bickering and looked at us.   
  
"You'd never be allowed. Never. Not in a million years." 


	2. Juuban

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Tess was still in a state of shock.  
  
"Neither can I," muttered Hoshi.  
  
"How in the WORLD did we convince our parents to let us go, by ourselves, with our cats no less, to Juuban?!" I think I was the most surprised at obtaining permission. We had just loaded the plane and taken our seats. I grinned at Kari.  
  
"That exchange program idea was brilliant! I'm glad we managed to all get in together. What a stroke of luck!"  
  
"Er, yeh, luck..." Ana sheepishly echoed. We turned suspiously to look at her.   
  
"Well, I kind of wrote a few well-worded letters in favor of this whole thing and they were, er, effective, apparantly," she grinned. We looked at her in shock then burst out laughing. After congratulating her on her ingenuity, we settled into our seats as the flight took off.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It's beautiful!" Tess could hardly contain herself.  
  
"Like something off a postcard," smirked Kariana. We had just gotten our luggage and left the airport terminal.  
We would be staying with the Takeshi family during our extended stay in Juuban. Upon arriving, we received a warm welcome from the family, which consisted of mother, father, and a son who was only a year older than ourselves.  
  
"Welcome to Juuban! It's wonderful to have Americans interested in our simple ways of life and culture. We are honored to be your host family," Mrs. Takeshi was a pleasant middle-aged woman. Her husband, a hearty man, echoed her sentiments. Their son, Ryo, was welcoming but distant. I could tell he was hesitant about housing all four of us, not to mention our pets as well.  
  
"We are all very happy to be here, Mrs. Takeshi, and look forward to staying with you. We appreciate you taking in all of us," I smiled warmly at the woman as I made my way to the bedroom Kari and I would be sharing. Tess and Ana had the room next to us.   
  
"Hmm, I think we had better get you all straight first... especially with there being twins! This could be confusing. Now, you're Tessia, correct?" Mr. Takeshi asked. The girl he was pointing at nodded in confirmation.  
  
"Next in line are the twins. Kariana and Ariana. But which is which?" He laughed. "Let's see, Ariana, that's you on the left by Tess?" He was guessing, but luckily, was correct. We laughed.  
  
"Which makes you Kariana!" His wife chimed in helpfully.  
  
"That leaves Kerensa," said. I grinned. This was going to be fun.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
During dinner I had the occasion to study our hosts. Mrs. Takeshi was an excellent cook. She was of average height, which I, of course, considered to be tall in comparison to my own challenged stature. Her gleaming black hair was kept short and tidy. She had thin wire-framed glasses that looked nice on her long, oval face. Her occupation proved to be an assistant to the local doctor.   
  
If Mrs. Takeshi seemed tall to me, her husband was a giant. While not overweight, he was well-built for his height. Mr. Takeshi worked as a lawyer. His hair was brown, which puzzled me. He later explained that his mother was Italian and and had moved to Juuban when she was 13. Both he and his wife were very nice people, and I thought I would rather like living with them. I particularly liked this when I thought of my own usually-empty apartment back in New York City.  
  
Ryo took after his mother, having her black hair. He was tall, in between his parents' heights, and muscular. I certainly didn't mind studying him during dinner. His personality seemed that of a quiet demeanor, but yet that didn't fit quite rightly. I assumed he was still adjusting to four girls suddenly living with him and that he would become more talkative in time. I hoped so, at any rate.   
  
I could tell the other girls were also formulating their opinions of the family and knew we had a long night of talking ahead. I smiled to myself and finished eating. When I looked up, Kariana was staring at me. She had an unusual expression on her face. I glanced over and saw Ryo looking intently at Tess. I couldn't help breaking out in a wide grin and winked at Kari. She had trouble preventing a fit of laughter, but she managed.   
  
We had arrived on a Friday evening. We had an entire weekend to explore before we had to go to school. All the paperwork had been taken care of already, thank goodness. I was all set to go exploring. Ryo warmed up to us by Saturday morning, and offered to be our guide. I turned him down, much to the chagrin of my friends. I expected them to override me, but they were apparently indifferent. I asked why once we got outside. Ana explained.  
  
"We just wanted him to come along as eye-candy, we don't need a guide. So, when you said no, we weren't going to argue that we need a guide." She grinned.   
  
~Oh, duh~ I thought. And with that, we set off for the heart of the city. The day was spent "sight-seeing" and, well, exploring! We got some funny looks from people, understandably. I suppose two redheads, a brunette, and a short blonde girl (I dyed my hair to celebrate our trip.) would stand out among the sea of black-haired heads.   
The cats went with us. It was amusing watching us pretend to cuddle the cats so they could talk. Luckily, no one paid that much attention to us. Eclipse told us that she and Diana would be leaving us to report to Diana's mother, Luna. Hoshi would stay with us. He seemed a bit overenthused about that. We laughed. Cat and kitten departed and we girls were left alone with Hoshi. He sighed and suggested we move on in our tour of the city. We did.  
  
The next day was Sunday, and since I am a devout Roman Catholic, I managed to somehow locate a nearby church, St. Cecelia's, to attend in the morning. My friends came with me, but I wouldn't have minded going alone. My spirituality is about the only thing I'm quiet about. It's funny; I'm pegged as talkative and a "motormouth," but anyone who watches me in a group would note that I usually just observe, unless the topic is something I feel strongly about, then I contribute too much, it seems.   
  
After Mass, we allowed Ryo to take us on a more realistic tour than we had given ourselves the previous day. It was quite insightful (we found out where the mall is!) and we returned that night exhausted from the hike, but happy. I couldn't wait for school the next day. If I had been in NYC, you'd never hear me say that. EVER.  
  
  
  



	3. Anemone Dayo

"Beep. Beep. Beep," my alarm was ruthless. I sat up and groggily rubbed my eyes. Morning? Already? Impossible! But it was true. I woke Kariana and headed next door for Tessia and Ariana. We didn't have all day to get to school.   
  
Ryo was already at the table when we got to the kitchen. He choked back a laugh when he saw us in our uniforms. I gave him a menacing glare that easily silenced him. Ryo and I had come to a mutual understanding during our outing Sunday: we respected each other, and didn't get in the other's way. My premonition he wasn't always as quiet as Friday night had come true. Ana jokingly said I should consider a career as a psychic.   
  
Our rosters were all the same, thank God. The four of us reported to the main office when we arrived at school. We were told a girl in our grade, Anemone Dayo, would be showing us around. Her roster was the same as ours. We waited for this girl to arrive. She came through the door after only a few minutes. Anemone had long black hair and aquamarine eyes. She was taller than Ariana. Excitedly, Anemone led us out of the office; I could tell she was hyper. Maybe she'd had sugar for breakfast? No matter, the day still seemed like it would be fun.  
  
"Hi! I'm Anemone Dayo and I'll be your waitress this evening!" Anemone giggled, "wait, no, that's not right. I'm Anemone Dayo and I'll be your guide around school today! There, that's better!" I couldn't help myself; I laughed. Anemone seemed like a flake. She led us down halls crammed with people. After dumping our stuff off at our locker, the bell rang, and we began to make our way to first period, History. The halls were so packed we had to go single file in some places. I was always the last in the line.   
  
"Ren!" I spun around and looked up into the brightest blue eyes I had ever seen. This guy was gorgeous. My mouth dropped open. Who was he and how did he know my name?  
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Uh, I was calling to my sister, Nem. She's your tour guide," he grinned.   
  
"Anemone... Nem... Oh! I thought you said, 'Ren,'" I felt my face grow hot.   
  
"Well, tell Nem that her brother is looking for her, please."  
  
"No problem." I was no longer flustered.   
  
"Oh, I'm Akira Kenshin, by the way."  
  
"Kerensa Nile. Nice to, er, meet you." I hurried to catch up to my friends.   
  
I slid into the seat Ariana had saved me just before the bell rang. She and Mr. Kanagawa, our teacher, both gave me curious glances. I whispered I'd tell her later and then opened my notebook. Out of all of my friends, I'm the nerd. Ana knew better than to pursue the topic while class was going on.   
  
After class, I hurried to the front of our procession and mentioned to Nem that Akira was looking for her. She gave me a look and asked how I knew she even had a brother.   
  
"I met him in the halls before first period," I grinned and felt my face growing red with embarrassment as I remembered the whole stupid scene. Of course, Kari noticed.  
  
"Ren, you're blushing, aren't you? You never blush! C'mon, what's up?" She started.  
  
"REN's blushing?! Lemme see!! Hey, why were you almost late for class?" Ana hustled over. Tess was right behind her, supressing a giggle.   
  
"I am not blushing," I said, as I turned even redder, "I was almost late for class because I thought someone was calling me and it was really Nem's brother saying 'Nem.'"   
  
"Uh-huh," Ariana gave me a knowing look. Luckily for me, they dropped it and we continued walking. Not surprisingly, I enjoyed most of my classes. My friends laughed at me for it. The day had passed quickly in my opinion. Due to locker placement and other first day things we needed to take care of, we agreed to meet in front of the only tree on the school property, in the schoolyard. I arrived first and leaned against the trunk, savoring the shade. Waiting for my friends, I opened my bag and began the little bit of homework we had that day. I didn't see Akira sneak up behind me. Well, maybe he didn't sneak, but how was I supposed to tell?  
  
"Hi." I must've jumped 50 feet in the air. My book landed a few feet away as I spun around.  
  
"Oh, hi, Akira. I didn't see you there." I fumbled for my book, "Nem and the rest of my friends should be here any minute. I was just finishing my homework." I stuffed the book back in my bag.  
  
"That's cool, Kerensa. Or is it Ren?" He added, "Maybe I should call you Kerensa so you know whether I'm talking to you or my sister." We laughed. Now that I wasn't in complete awe of his looks, I could talk like a rational human being.   
  
"So, you're from the US?"  
  
"Yes, New York City, to be exact."  
  
"Do you miss it yet?"  
  
"I've only been here for 3 days, and Juuban already feels like home. NYC's great, but when you've lived there your whole life it gets a bit complacent." Just then, Tess, Anemone, and Kariana came walking up to us.  
  
"Hi Akira! I see you've already met Ren," Anemone looked at me as she spoke. I, in turn, looked at Tess, who was looking at everyone.   
  
"Yeah, Nem. I'm trying to convince her not to hang around people like you," he winked at me. I grinned at him and assured Anemone he was doing no such thing. Kariana, meanwhile, had been eying Akira.   
  
"So, your Nem's brother?"   
  
"Unfortunately."  
  
"Akira!"  
  
"What?!" Just then, Ariana came running up to us, breathless. She stopped dead in her tracks and gawked at Akira. He, luckily, didn't notice. I turned to her nonchalantly.  
  
"What took you so long, Ana?"  
  
"I, er, had to, uh, locker," she stammered. We all laughed. Then Anemone started the introductions.  
  
"Akira, I'd like you to meet my friends, Tessia. And this is Kariana... The breathless twin is Ariana, and then, of course, there's Kerensa. Girls, this is my brother, Akira Kenshin." We all mumbled out "nice to meet you's."  
  
"What did you want, Akira?" Anemone asked him. Maybe she wasn't quite as flaky as I had first anticipated her to be.  
  
"I needed to tell you that Mom won't be home tonight, and neither will Dad, so we need to fend for ourselves, and suggest we just get burgers...," he shrugged.  
  
"Can my friends come?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" We went to the Takeshi's house to get our money and drop off our books. Ryo was already home. We invited him to come along. Soon, the seven of us were piled into a huge booth at the local McDonald's. We ate in silence for a few minutes, then Ariana asked me if I had finished the homework for Kanagawa's class and could she borrow it. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Why do you bother asking? You know I'd never give it to you anyway."  
  
"I thought you might've changed your mind or something," she grinned. I sighed and turned back to my cheeseburger. I got the distinct feeling someone was looking at me, but when I looked up, everyone was intent on their food. Well, everyone except for Anemone, who was intent on hitting the person across from me, her brother, with her pickle. She apparently doesn't like pickles. Her aim wasn't very good, until she managed to get one to land on top of his burger. While she dissolved in a fit of giggles, he merely brushed it off his burger, shot her a look, and kept eating. I noted that while Akira had a sense of humor, his was of a different nature than his sister's.   
  



	4. Missing?

"Hey, guys! Look what I dug up from my jewelry box! Now we match!" And with that, Anemone held up a pendant that looked exactly like ours. My friends and I gaped in a mixture of horror and fascination. "Well?"  
  
"Wow, Nem, that's great.... Where'd you get it?" I questioned weakly.  
  
"Oh, a long time ago... My best friend and I both got one... She moved back to France, though," I could tell it was hard for Nem to add that last part.   
  
~This has to be a coincidence. Nem and her friend aren't Sailors, too... Are they? How can we possibly find out?! I gotta talk to the cats.~   
  
"That's great, Nem... Hey, I gotta go, I'll talk to you all later, ok?" I shot a significant glance at Tess and the twins and left.  
  
I found Hoshi lounging on Tess' bed.  
  
"Hoshi!" He woke up with a start. "What?!"  
  
"Is there something you're not telling us? About a certain friend of ours? And possibly her friend, too?!" I glared at the cat, who gave me a confused look. "Oh come on, Hoshi! Anemone has a locket, just like ours. EXACTLY like ours. And her best friend from France has one, too. Is this an extremely EERIE coincidence, or are they scouts?" He blinked.  
  
"Hmm. Now there's a possibility. I wouldn't know though. I'm suppose Diana would remember if there were more than four... It's entirely a possibility... I wouldn't say anything to them yet, just in case. I can send word to Diana, asking her, somehow, if you feel it's imperative..." After one look at me, he said, "Yes, right away, I'll get on it." And with that, he left. I sighed and went outside. I wasn't sure where my friends would be right now, and began walking in the direction of Nem's house.  
  
Knowing her parents weren't home, I let myself in the house and called out, "Anyone here?" as I wandered into the kitchen. I heard a noise behind me, spun, attacked, and pinned whoever it was to the floor. I found myself on top of a wide-eyed Akira.  
  
"Where did you learn that?!"  
  
"New York City," I said, quickly rolling off him and getting up. I would've offered a hand, but he had already gotten up himself. "All my friends and I know high level defenses and attacks..." I trailed off. He looked interested.   
  
"When do you ever use it?"   
  
"Oh, the occasional time I think a house is empty and one of its occupants sneaks on me..." I grinned.   
  
"As you can see, the girls left. Since I know you'll ask, sorry, I don't know where they went. Why aren't you with them?"   
  
"I had to talk to someone. It was important... Hey you might know something... Do you remember your sister having a best friend from France?"  
  
"Sure. Her name was Abigail something... Dalmont. Abigail Dalmont. Why?"  
  
"Only curious. I'm studying French and I'd like to maybe get in touch with her." It wasn't a lie, I did want to get in touch with this girl, and I was studying French, that just wasn't why I had asked him.   
  
"You're sure you don't know where they went, when they'll be back, anything?" He shook his head.  
  
"You're welcome to wait for them here though. The idea of ordering a pizza for myself isn't appealing... have you eaten yet?" When I shoke my head no he grinned and asked if I'd want pizza. Since I love pizza, it wasn't an offer I was about to refuse. He dialed and then we went into the living room to watch TV. While I didn't mind being alone with him, now wasn't the time! I needed to talk to Tess and Kari and Ariana. I sighed. Akira shot me a look. I smiled.  
  
"I just really have to talk to my friends..." I stopped there, lest he should get curious. I didn't want to lie to Akira, so it was better I just didn't have to tell him anything. We spent the rest of an enjoyable evening eating pizza, talking, laughing, and watching TV. It had gotten late when I realized that not even Nem had come back. I was concerned.  
  
"Akira, can I use your phone? I want to see if maybe the girls went to our house." I dialed the Takeshi's. Ryo answered and said he hadn't seen the girls since school. I thanked him and hung up. I glanced over at Akira.   
  
"Nothing, huh? I'm sure they'll turn up. Knowing my sister, she probably drug Tess and the twins to some out of the way place and lost track of the time." I hoped he was right.   
  
"I should probably get going then... They'll be home soon, so I may as well be there, too." I didn't really want to leave, but I certainly didn't want to overextend my welcome. Besides, Akira's parents would be home soon and I didn't want him to get in trouble. I didn't think he would, but better safe than sorry. Was it just me, or did he look a little disappointed when I said that?   
  
~Stop it, Ren. You're imagining it. Akira is your new friend's older brother. You're only in Juuban because you have to train to be a good Sailor Scout, and considering all you know about that, you should be focussing on learning more about that, not some boy. Some extremely good-looking, friendly, did I mention good-looking?, boy.~ I wanted to smack myself, but restrained from doing so in front of Akira.   
  
"Well, goodnight then. Drop in any time you want. Hey, do you want me to call when Nem gets in? Or, er, I'll have her call," he grinned almost sheepishly. I smiled at him and said I'd appreciate it. I started to walk home. It was getting dark out. About two blocks away from the house, Nem's parents drove past me and I smiled. Perfect timing. I quickened my pace. As I turned down a particularly dark street, I began to feel uneasy. I tried to shake the feeling, but I couldn't. I glanced over my shoulder, but of course there was nothing there. I scolded myself and hurried along. As I walked past a row of trees I heard something to my right. I peered into the black canopy of the forest. Some way in, I saw a faint blue light glowing. My curiosity got the better of me and I began to hike towards the light. I knew it was foolish but I pressed on.   
  
Upon reaching a clearing, I saw the source of the light. In the middle of the opening of trees, a mirror laid on the ground, and it was glowing blue. I knew this was NOT an ordinary mirror and I slowly approached it. I gingerly picked it up, and carefully examined it. It looked like a regular mirror, except for that mysterious glow. I bit my lip, then shoved it in my bag and ran through the brush. I didn't stop running till I was safely inside the Takeshi's, and panting. Mr. and Mrs. Takeshi gave me startled looks and asked if I was alright. I nodded in reply and, after catching my breath, inquired if the girls were home yet. They replied in the negative and I hurried to my and Kari's room. I dumped the mirror on my bed. Just then, the phone in our room rang. I jumped on it and said a breathless hello.  
  
"Ren? Are you Ok? It's Akira."   
  
"Yes, sorry, I just got home, I ran half the way. Is Nem home? My other friends aren't."   
  
"Why did you run?? No, she isn't, that's why I'm calling. Mom's worried and wanted to know if she was there."   
  
"No, sorry. It isn't like my friends to stay out all evening without at least calling me. I hope they call or come home soon or just something." I felt hurt they had left me out, and worried that maybe they couldn't contact us. I had purposely left out why I ran. I don't think he would've believed me if I'd told him. But then, maybe...   
  
"Hey, don't worry, they should be home soon. I'm curious to know where they are though, that they wouldn't even call and invite us!" I laughed. "So, why DID you run, anyway? It's not that late, and if you're worried about curfew I would think the Takeshis wouldn't care considering three of you are still out!" I hesitated.  
  
"When I got to the woods, I felt like someone else was around, but there wasn't. I got scared and figured I'd better go a little faster, just in case." This was true, it had felt like someone had been watching me.  
  
"Suppose someone had been there? You could've kung-fued him," he laughed, then turned serious again. There was a definite note of concern in his voice. I was surprised. "I would've ran, too. That's not something to mess around with. I've got to get going, ok? Call me if you need anything."  
  
"'Bye. Don't worry about having Anemone call, I'll ask the girls when they get in. If they ever get in!" With that, we hung up. I was suddenly very tired and, after tucking the glowing mirror safely into its hiding place, went to bed.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"G'morning Ren!" Kariana apparently had already had some sugar. I groaned and rolled over. Then I realized it was Kari talked and sat up.  
  
"Where WERE you guys last night?!"   
  
"Oh, that. Nem wanted to show us this awesome pier... It is so cool, wait'll we show it to you, you're gonna love it. We can go swimming and boating and..." She stopped when she saw my face.  
  
"Sounds great. I'm glad you had fun. I won't ask what time you got home." I quickly pulled on my uniform, got ready, and left for school. Mrs. Takeshi wanted me to have breakfast, but I wasn't hungry.   
  
~ They were at a pier?! I was worried sick, waited for them, even... Ok, that doesn't count, I was with Akira... Er, I'm doing it again....they still should've called or something. It's like they forgot they even have another friend!~ My thoughts continued along these lines as I got to school. Akira and Anemone were just going in, too. I brushed quickly past them and hurried to my locker. As I was slamming it shut, Akira came up to me.  
  
"Anemone would've come over, but she has the distinct feeling you're mad at her, and I don't blame you. I'm rather annoyed at them all too," he said. I gave him a tiny smile.   
  
"Hey, I don't think I thanked you for the pizza. I don't plan on staying mad at them for long, just enough to let them know they messed up." Akira grinned. Just then, Tess approached her locker, which happened to be across from mine.  
  
"Hi Ren, hi Akira... Ren, you don't know how sorry we are about last night. We were having such a good time, we just forgot... and then I remembered you'd probably be looking for us, but there wasn't any phones around or anything so we just let it go... Please don't be so mad."  
  
I should've known they'd have Tess say it, I can never stay mad at her, she's always so apologetic about everything. I gave her a small smile, then I remembered the mirror.  
  
"Wait till I show you guys what I found last night in the woods! It's..." I clamped my hand over my mouth and looked at Akira. He raised an eyebrow and mouthed that I had better explain some things to him. Tess left to find the twins and Anemone, presumedly and Akira leaned against my locker.  
  
"Found in the woods? If you thought there was someone there, why were you IN the woods?" He didn't seem angry, just extremely confused.  
  
"I did feel like there was someone, but then I... Oh you'd never believe me," I had a pained look on my face, I was sure.   
  
"Try me."  
  
"Well, I saw a blue light and couldn't help it and went to investigate. It was a mirror only it isn't a real mirror, it can't be, it's glowing! I don't know what it is but I bet it has something to do with," I said that all in a matter of seconds and stopped abruptly. I couldn't tell him about the Scouts!  
  
"You SAW something glowing and it's a MIRROR?" He repeated slowly. I nodded. "Now that's definitely not normal. I'd like to see this thing, if it's ok."   
  
"Yes, but after I talk to my friends, sans your sister, about it..." He gave me a questioningly look as to why not Anemone, and I gave him as best an answer as I could. "We're in Juuban for a reason, I think the mirror might have something to do with it, and I don't think your sister is involved, but I could be wrong.... I know I'm probably only confusing you more, but maybe I can explain it to you in more detail later. After I find some things out." He was definitely perplexed, but merely nodded and hurried to class as the bell rang. I hoped Hoshi had some information for me, and soon.   



	5. Sailor Wind

"What IS that thing?" Kariana stared at the mirror. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"If I knew, I'd tell you." Hoshi now began examining the mirror. ~It must be very powerful to glow so brightly, all the time~ He had returned with the news that, yes, Anemone was the fifth scout. We were surprised and I wondered how to break it to her. I figured I should show the mirror to everyone first, then we could take it over to Nem's and tell her the whole thing. Her reaction would certainly be fun to watch. After everyone had studied the mirror, we headed out.  
  
"Nem! Hi!" Kariana said, barging into her room. Our friend wore a shocked expression as the four of us and Hoshi poured into her room.   
  
"Uh, hi guys. What's going on?"   
  
"We have something to tell you," Hoshi began. Nem started screaming and shaking and backed into a wall. Akira burst into the room.  
  
"What's wrong?!" Anemone could only blubber and point at the cat. Akira turned a questioning eye to me. I took a deep breath and began.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have let him start."  
  
"Him?"  
  
"The cat, Akira. Hoshi, the cat." He gave me a look as if I had spontaneously grown another head.  
  
"Yes, the cat can talk. Hoshi, please. [He said hello, at which Akira's eyes turned as big as saucers.] Now, remember me telling you about the mirror? Your sister needs to know about it." I stopped and looked at my friends. I wanted to let Akira know... but could I? I was sure he could be trusted. I looked at Hoshi, who nodded. I broke into a grin. I don't know how the cat knew what I was thinking, but I didn't really care.  
  
"Anemone, you're... oh, how can I say this? You're a Sailor Scout."   
  
"A what? What's that? Why am I one? Would someone please tell me what's going on and WHY YOU HAVE A TALKING CAT?" I let my friends and Hoshi tell the story, throwing in things at some points. I had sat down idly on Nem's desk chair, and was just watching her reaction to everything. When I glanced at Akira, he was listening intently to Tessia. I studied him for a little, then walked out of the room. I suddenly needed a drink. After walking to the kitchen, I poured myself some water, then leaned against the counter and sighed.   
  
"Are you OK?" Akira had apparently followed me. I jumped about ten feet in the air and turned to face him.  
  
"Yeah, why?" I gave him a faint smile. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how I felt.   
  
"You just seem... like something's wrong. So, you and your friends are defenders of the universe? Am I understanding correctly?"   
  
"We're only still in training. There are five scouts already, only apparently they're being duped by some evil force and that's where we come in. Once we finish training, assuming this is in time, we have to go save them, or something like that." He raised an eyebrow. "Why you five? I mean, you girls aren't even from Juuban..." I shrugged, at a loss for an answer for once in my life.   
  
"I just feel... I mean, I'm... It's..." I laughed. "I'm usually a lot better with words."   
  
"I know. Take your time. What is it?"  
  
"I'm scared, ok? I just have this feeling like, can I really handle this? Why was I picked? I... there's something the girls didn't mention, well they did inadvertantly, at any rate."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Kariana and I are... well, the term Hoshi used is 'co-captians'. We're the leaders. I'm honored, sure, but I don't know. Kari and I have been best friends since we born, practically. But can the two of us really call the shots when it comes to saving the universe? I don't know what this even entails. Talking cats, superpowers, I mean, imagine living practically alone since your mother's never home, living a nice quiet life with your three best friends and then suddenly you find yourself clear across the world learning about things you never knew existed, being able to control the forces of nature, doing things that normal humans could never attempt..." I trailed off and gulped. I hadn't realized how scared I was. I knew I was uneasy, but I've never been scared, and now I was. "And what bothers me is that we haven't even began fighting or anything yet. We're still in training! Suppose something happens before we complete training and we don't know everything and we have to fight? We haven't really done anything, and I'm so worked up!" I gave a small laugh. "It must scare you that the fate of the world as we know it rests on my shoulders, huh?" Akira walked over to me and gave me a hug.   
  
"It's ok to be scared. You and your friends are all brave for even coming, for trying. Not everyone would be so willing. You don't know what to expect yet..." his voice trailed off and he hugged me tighter. After a few moments, I pulled myself away from him and gulped down the last of my water.  
  
"I'd better go back to the room, they've got to be finished by now and probably want to talk about the mirror." He smiled and followed me back to Nem's room. Ariana was the only one who noticed as we came back in. I was right, they were just finishing the story and wanted Nem to transform. The question was, Who is she? Hoshi grinned when Kariana asked this and replied that Diana had told him. She had forgotten about the fifth scout.   
  
"You're wearing your necklace, aren't you? I need you to shout 'WIND TRANSFORM POWER!' Girls, why don't you change too?" And with that we all yelled.  
  
"EARTH TRANSFORM POWER!" "NOVA TRANSFORM POWER!" "DARKNESS TRANSFORM POWER!" "WIND TRANSFORM POWER!" and finally, "GRAVITY TRANSFORM POWER!" After a few minutes, the five of us appeared in front of a gaping Akira.   
  
"Well I didn't expect this when you said you could change and superpowers and... yeah." We didn't pay attention to him, we were too busy admiring Nem's teal and aquamarine outfit, boots, and headband. Her band had a jade stone in the center.  
  
"Wow," was all Nem could say. We laughed. Just then, Nem's parents got home and we quickly changed back into our normal selves. Akira made a mad dash for his own room.  
  
"Hi Mom, hi Dad!" Anemone led us into the living room. "We're going for a walk, ok?" Then we were outside. "Today's been one hell of a day! Geez. So, what do we do now, anyway?"   
  
"We wait?" Hoshi suggested. I looked at him.  
  
"Of course not! We find out what this mirror is! Or whose it is! Or just something with the mirror!" My friends just looked at me, then they gave a collective sigh.  
  
"Should've known you wouldn't just sit back, Ren," Kari said, "But where do we start?" I bit my lip indecisively. Tess suggested the library. Since we had nothing else to go on, we figured we might as well try there. However, we had no idea what to look for. Needless to say, after hours of searching (under Talismans, Mirrors, the art of making mirrors, just about everything we could possibly think of relating to mirrors and/or mysterious objects), we turned up nothing. We yawned and headed back to Anemone's.   
  
"We're bound to think of something," said Ariana. "One of us has got to know something and just... doesn't know it yet!" Kariana rolled her eyes. Thoughtful, Anemone fingered her necklace. "I wonder..." She trailed off and bolted from the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a tattered envelope.  
  
"I don't know what made me think of it... This is a letter that Abby wrote to me before she moved back to France. Abby's the girl with the other necklace like ours. [I grinned. ~why didn't I think of her? She might know *something*~] I never understood it..." She unfolded the letter and let us all read it.  
  
My dear Nem~  
I'm sorry I have to leave Juuban, I'm better off here   
more than you can imagine, but it's not to be. Our   
friendship is a special one. Remember, look inside  
to find the truth. The clearer the reflection, the more  
truthful it is. Don't be afraid if you can't find the  
answers immediately. They will come to you. I  
will always think of you, we may meet again. If  
we lose touch now, just promise not to forget me.  
Love, Abby   
  
  
Kariana let out a low whistle.   
  
"That's some good-bye."  
  
"Oh, I know! I couldn't figure it out. Abby had always been serious, but not so... deep? I guess that's the word. But, think about it! 'Reflection,' 'They will come to you,' 'can't find the answers immediately'? She knew something! The mirror has got to be linked to her, somehow. I don't know why, but it's the only thing that makes sense so far." I nodded slowly.   
  
"Why don't you write to her? Can you? [she nodded] Great. Don't mention anything about the scouts. Just get general conversation going for now. Ok?" Nem said she'd do it tonight.  
  
Tess looked dismayed. "It's a good idea not to mention anything freaky, but do we have time? I mean, we're just going to sit around with a glowing mirror and hope for a reply, then proceed to ask her if she knows anything about the mirror. She'll think you've flipped, Nem, if you're wrong about her involvement." Anemone shrugged delicately. "That's just a risk I'll have to take. I can always tell her I was insane, or it was a dare, or that I didn't write it, it's a prank..." I groaned as my friends broke into grins. The four of us stated, "Live long, prank hard and NEVER GET CAUGHT!" [a/n- I couldn't resist!] Anemone laughed, "Ohhhh I like that!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Anemone yawned. She glanced at the clock on the table by her bed. 2:47AM?! ~I'll never fall back asleep. The dream had been too real...~ She shivered and buried herself under her covers. ~I hope Abby writes back soon. I never was patient. She's gotta know something about the mirror... is she a scout? Nah. I don't think there'd be more than five. But then how does she fit in? I don't know, this is all so confusing. How did I ever manage to get ti...~ She had fallen asleep.   
  
Meanwhile, in the Takeshi household, Tess needed to use the bathroom. She tiptoed down the hall. On her way back, she heard movement behind her and proceeded to flip Ryo. When she realized what she had done, she became extremely flustered and helped him up.  
  
"I'm sorry! You scared me. What are you doing up?"  
  
"Trouble sleeping, you?"  
  
"I had to use the bathroom. Why can't you sleep?" He shrugged. While Ryo was usually a somewhat outspoken individual, he could be really shy. Particularly around Tess.   
  
"I'm glad we don't have school tomorrow... I'm going to have trouble falling back asleep and then I'd never wake up in time," Tess laughed. "Not much of a morning person myself," replied Ryo. He smiled. After a slightly awkward pause, they made their ways to their respective rooms.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Come on, girls! Time to get up!"   
  
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Ariana and Tess had just flopped onto Kariana and myself, waking us up. I glared at them, and saw Kari do the same.   
  
"It's a beautiful day outside! Not many more left before the weather gets cold. I say we go swimming at the pier," Tess was, for once, being slightly bossy. However, since we all liked her idea, we weren't about to argue. After quickly changing into our suits, Ana called Nem and invited her. She accepted.   
  
We met at Nem's house since it was closer to the pier, apparently. Since I had never been there before, I certainly couldn't tell you. Ok, I suppose I still held a little grudge about the night they had me worried. It was only a short walk to get there. Tess had been right, the weather was perfect for swimming.  
  
When we got there, the five of us were surprised to find Akira, Ryo, and a few other of their schoolfriends already in the water. ~Wow he looks good without a shirt on.. REN!! Why do you do this?!~ Akira spotted us first and waved. "Come on! The water's great!" he shouted. I was never one to be self conscious and quickly stripped to my suit and made a running leap in. I came up sputtering, "You're right!" My friends were a little slower. Ariana and I had to drag Tess in. Then, Anemone proceeded to sneak up on Akira and dunk him. That started an all out war of girls versus boys. While everyone was splashing and having fun, I made my way to the side of the pier and just bobbed there, watching. I didn't hear or see Akira come up behind me. When I finally got myself floating properly again, I gave him a look and lunged for him. We battled it out until I finally got him under not once, but three times. The boys, of course, ratted on him for being dunked in succession three times, but they had all suffered similiarly themselves. Anemone and Akira both cried truce and the ten of us laughed, a little tired. By now it was lunchtime and we climbed out and dried off some.   
  
"Who's up for burgers?" cried one of Ryo's friends. We all shouted in agreement and made our way to the nearest fast food restaurant. I couldn't help laughing. I was sitting across from Akira, next to Tess. Anemone was next to her. She kept throwing her pickles at her brother, not stopping till one landed in his water. The scene was oddly familiar, except there were a few other guys. I kicked Akira lightly under the table. He nodded and I broke into an evil grin. Then I proceeded to squirt ketchup right into Nem's soft drink. She gasped and everyone stopped their chatter to look at her. I just smiled away while Akira almost choked from laughing so hard. The look on Nem's face was priceless. We couldn't help it, the whole table laughed, and finally, she joined us. Akira and I high-fived. "Thanks, I owe you one! I hate pickles as much as she does!" he laughed. I shrugged modestly. "All in a day's work." By now the table had calmed down, thanks in part to looks from the manager.  
  
"Guys, just watch it, I don't want us to get kicked out, OK? I'm enjoying my lunch," leave it to Tess. We knew she was right though. "What do you want to do now?" Kariana asked. We had finished eating and were standing outside. Ryo's friends had departed, they worked and their shifts would be starting soon. I didn't really care, I was having fun. Apparently, so was everyone else. We headed to the Takeshi's to watch movies. Even though we had just eaten lunch, we made popcorn at Ariana's insistence. "You can't watch a movie without popcorn! It's just not... human!" We threw the popcorn at each other more than we ate it. Strangely enough, Anemone had been the quietest all day out of everyone. When she went into the kitchen to refill her soda, I followed her and asked her about it. She seemed startled but said everything was fine. I let it go, maybe she wasn't feeling well or something. When we got back to the living room, Ryo had moved to sit by Tess on the floor; he had to ask her something. The twins were on the larger couch and Anemone plopped down between them. The only seat vacant was next to Akira on the smaller couch, which I quickly occupied. We watched a few movies before it began to get late. I hadn't slept well the night before and almost dozed off more than a couple times. After a while, I couldn't stand it and succumbed to the drowsiness, promptly falling onto Akira. He glanced at me and returned his attention to the movie. No one else had even noticed, they were so engrossed in the film. Then Ariana, our mischiefmaker, went into the kitchen. When she returned she had a clear view of me asleep against Akira's shoulder. Luckily for me, I wasn't drooling or talking or snoring. Ariana squealed and pointed.   
  
"What?" asked Akira. "Oh, nothing, nothing." Meanwhile, Kariana had left and returned with a huge cup of ice water. Tessia caught on and grinned. Anemone was still paying attention to the movie. "Hey, guys, you're going to miss this part, it's really funny... Ohh, lemme do it, please?!" She had finally turned to see what was so interesting. Kari handed her the cup.   
Nem then dumped it over my head and Akira's shoulder. We both jumped up screaming.   
  
"WHAT? Who? WHERE?" Then I stopped as my friends dissolved into giggles. "Huh?" I was confused. All I knew was that Akira and I were standing sopping wet in the Takeshi's living room with Ryo, Tess, Kari, Nem, and Ana laughing hysterically at us. Even Akira was suppressing a smirk. Then I remembered... movies... tired... yeah, it all made sense now. Tess almost fell over; Ryo had to hold her up, she was laughing so hard.   
  
"Um, yeah, very funny," I grinned. "Hey, I'm going change my shirt and DRY MY HAIR. I'll be right back." And with that, I made a hasty retreat to my room. I dried my hair with Kari's hair dryer after changing into a T-shirt. When I came back I saw that Akira had borrowed a shirt of Ryo's. They had all resumed their seats and were watching the movie like nothing had happened. My friends never ceased to amaze me. 


	6. Revelations

[A/N- From now on, the story's going to be told 3rd person pov.]  
  
Paul Galen, a violet-blue eyed blond of average height, sighed and looked at his watch. ~She's going to be late~ Just then, a tall brunette with eyes that were so dark they were nearly black ran into the cinema.  
  
"Am I late?" she breathed.  
  
"No, just in time. Let's go, I don't want to miss the previews!" With that, the two teens went into the movie.  
  
"So, Paul, how's your father?" the girl asked cautiously.   
  
"Not good. He keeps getting delirious. He mutters about Mom, only he'll describe her to me, and then he'll tell me how she looked as a girl, only the description is completely different. I'm worried about it. His health isn't good, and it can only get worse." His best friend put her arm around him. "It'll be OK." The friends pushed it from their minds and watched the movie.  
  
Later, Paul found himself taking a tray of soup into his bedridden father. The unkempt man with hazel eyes and dark blond hair laying in the bed was a shadow of his former handsome self. Mr. Galen had been to countless doctors, but no one knew what was wrong with him. Luckily, Mr. Galen was having what seemed like a good day. He smiled at Paul as he began eating.  
  
"Paul, how are you, my boy? How was your day? Good soup, by the way." Paul answered him. The older man looked thoughtful. "Did I ever tell you about your mother? She was a beauty, that she was. The brightest copper colored hair you could imagine. You have her eyes." Mr. Galen smiled at the memory. He had, of course, already told Paul this many times, but it didn't matter. ~He's so happy when he talks about her. He must've loved her very much. I wonder what happened to Mom anyway... I hope he gets better.~ The man had sunk back against his pillow. Then, "Oh that girl. Quite a spitfire, from the moment she was born. I knew there was something different about her, I did. Hazel eyes, copper hair..." and on he droned. Paul sighed. ~He had been doing so well, then he confused her eyecolor, as usual. Is it Alzheimer's, maybe? At least, the memory part could be?~ He thought helplessly. "Why, I remember, when she was about three or four, she would try and break into everything... how her mother yelled at her!" The man laughed in delight. "I would always comfort her, you see. I was the protector..." Mr. Galen finished eating. Paul removed the tray then began on his homework. He didn't have much and finished it quickly. He picked up the phone and dialed.  
  
"Is Dal there?" That had been his nickname for his friend since the time he had met her. "Hey Dal! What's up?"   
  
"What's with your forced enthusiasm, Paul? Is everything ok?" He could never put one past her. "Well, Dad's doing it again. I just don't know what to do." "Are you finished your homework? Want to go for a walk?" They agreed and started off.  
  
"Why don't you ever want to go for walks anymore?" she pouted. Paul rolled his eyes and told her that he was on one right now. They continued walking and chatting for a good while. It began to get dark and Paul realized he needed to get home soon.  
  
"Goodnight, Dal! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" He hollered as he ran up the steps of his house. The lights were all off, that he could see. "Dad?" Nothing. Paul sprinted into his father's room. The old man was sleeping, but he didn't look comfortable. Paul himself then went to bed.  
  
A few weeks passed and Mr. Galen's health continued to get worse. His memory hadn't improved and he was feverish. All he could talk about was his wife. He had a doctor's appointment soon and Paul couldn't afford to do anything but wait. His schoolwork suffered because he was so worried something would happen while he was there. Unfortunately, his worst fears came true.   
  
Paul ran home from school as usual. "Dad?!" His father was coughing and sweating. He looked horrible. He motioned Paul to his bedside. "Son, I'm sorry... I should've told you..."   
  
"Dad, it's ok. Whatever it is, don't worry about it. You can tell me later, when you're better. Here, let-" "NO!" Mr. Galen never rose his voice. He practically couldn't in his current state of health. Whatever this is, it had to be important.   
  
"I need to tell you... not much time... Your mother..." his eyes filled with tears, but he continued. "She didn't die. I had to... we... we were forced to split up. She lives in America... With your sister... you must go to them... she needs you... your sister..." "Dad, what are you saying? I'll... I'll call a doctor! You need to go to the hospital!" Paul was near hysterics.  
  
"No, it's too late. Just listen to me... it's all true. She needs your help... she's not strong enough alone... you, you have the power... always knew there was something different about you- both... find her, please... you must... you can... heal... her name is Kerensa Nile...I love you. all." As the long-suffering man uttered these words, his chest heaved one last time and then he lay still. Paul gave a cry and threw himself on top of father sobbing. He knew there was nothing he could do. Numbly, he called 911. Then, through his tears, he called his best friend, Abigail Dalmont, Dal for short.  
  
The court proceedings were not complicated. Paul went to New York City to live with his mother. However, he knew his father was telling the truth. Paul had to find his sister. Once their mother had recovered from all the shock, pain, and amazement, she agreed to ship him to Juuban through the same exchange program as his sister. She wrote a letter to Ren explaining the whole awful truth, and hoped Ren got the letter before she got Paul.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ren clamped one hand to her mouth as the letter fell from the other hand. "I don't believe this... it can't be!" Her friends rushed over to her, their faces mirroring concern.   
  
"What's wrong, Ren?!?" Kariana asked. Kerensa picked the letter up and handed it to them. As realization dawned on them, her friends gasped.   
  
"You have a BROTHER? He's coming HERE?" Kariana, Anemone, and Ariana were bubbling with excitement. Tess was a little more tactful. "I'm sorry about your father." Ren shrugged. "I always thought he was dead anyway. Now I know he really is." She bit her lip. She knew once she let all of this really digest she'd be upset, but she didn't want her friends to worry about her. They'd be meeting her brother, Paul Galen, at the airport tonight at 7PM. That gave Ren exactly 4 hours till she had to be at the terminal. She wanted to be alone. Fortunately, she had wonderful friends who understood this.   
  
Ren left the house wandering aimlessly. She found herself going in the direction of the pier and sat down on the dock. After Ren had skipped a few stones, she just sat and mused.   
  
~Why didn't Mom ever tell me? Why did she have to lie to me? I mean, if she thought everything would be easier just saying my father was dead, I guess I can understand that. A little. But I have a brother! She never told me I have an older brother! Did he know about me? I guess not. Apparently Mom let him down too. He was sick. He needed her. And she just let him die, let her son watch his father die. While she was clear across the world with the sister he never knew he had. Poor Paul. This must be hell for him. Too.~ Hot tears poured down Ren's cheeks, and for once, she let them fall. ~Why, Mom? We were never close, but how could you do this to me? To our family?~ She didn't know that she could ever trust her mother again. Ren grabbed a rock and chucked it forcefully into the water, then sank back down to the ground, sobbing.   
  
~I need some sort of distraction. I wonder what my brother will be like.~ Kerensa managed a laugh as she thought of the possibility of hooking him up with one of her friends. She  
jjust needed to think of something besides how she felt. Ren knew she couldn't run from all of her feelings, but she had done enough soul-searching. Her mind wandered then to her friends and her new life. While she was still uncertain about being a scout, pondering all this was better than crying about things she had no control over. She considered her feelings for Akira. Ren barely knew him, but every time she thought about him she couldn't smiling. She wondered how Akira felt about her.  
  
Meanwhile, Akira had come across four very confusing girls. He asked them what was going on. They showed him the letter Ren had received. ~no wonder they all look so confused.~ He let out a low whistle and asked where Ren was. They replied that she had gone for a walk; she wanted to be alone. He nodded and said he was going to look for her, and left.   
  
"Well, if I wasn't confused before, I am now," said Tess, staring after the departing Akira. The twins agreed.  
  
"I think he likes her," sang Nem. The others grinned.   
  
"Oh my God! I think you're right!" Said Kariana. Ariana let out a whoop. "Oh, this is perfect ammo for future, er, pranks." Tess was torn. "Sure. It's pretty obvious. But is now a good time to figure this out? I mean, Ren is definitely not in a good mood right now and..." She trailed off. It seemed pretty useless to argue, and besides, Ren would have to cheer up eventually. Nem and the twins were right. Since it was getting close to the time they'd all have to leave for the airport, the girls hoped he found Ren.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Where would she have gone?~ Akira thought. She didn't know many places in Juuban where she could be alone besides... the pier. He knew he was right and headed in the direction of it. As he approached, he saw Ren sitting on the edge of the dock, apparently lost in thought. It was obvious she'd been crying. Akira felt his heart tug and scolded himself. Now's not the time. Ren had no way of knowing how much he liked her, and even if she did, there were more important things going on right now.   
  
Akira hated lying to his sister and her friends. Well, they were his friends too. Especially Kerensa... But they couldn't know his secret yet. He had not been surprised when he saw the four Americans with his sister. He had known why they were here. However, he had no idea his sister was involved. This was a shock, but he got over it quickly. Akira knew they would find out eventually... He couldn't help noticing all the similarities between what was happening now and what had already happened... What he was working so hard to fight... He knew he could win.   
  
Akira realized he had been staring at Ren as he thought about all this. She hadn't noticed him yet. He walked up behind her slowly and knelt down next to her. She turned and gave him a tiny smile.  
  
"Hi, Akira. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to find you... Our friends told me everything. Are you OK?" Akira couldn't help it. He was worried, and he wasn't going to hide it.  
  
"Yeah, now I am. It was quite a... surprise. Thanks for your, er, concern. I suppose they sent you to tell me it's almost time to go pick up Paul?"   
  
"No. They told me you wanted to be alone... I just wanted to make sure you were allright." Ren looked at him curiously, but said nothing. She stood up and began walking away. She didn't trust herself to look at him, and merely replied, "Well, come on. We do need to get going." They walked back to the Takeshi's together in silence.   
  
  



	7. Paul Arrives

Paul Galen stepped off the plane and glanced uncertainly around the terminal. He noticed a large group of people and realized it had to be his party. His mother had mentioned that Ren would most likely have her friends with her, and she'd been right. Paul easily identified the amber-eyed, auburn-haired (she hadn't bothered touching up her roots and let the blonde fade out.) girl as his sister. He walked slowly over to them. Kerensa met him a few steps from the group and hugged him. It was a touching scene. Paul knew his father had been right. They walked back to her friends and after the chatting had ceased, Ren started her introductions. The twins were identified as Ariana and Kariana, the short brunette was Tessia. The tall, black-haired boy was Akira, and his sister was Anemone Dayo. They would be his host family. The girls' host family was also present- Ryo and his parents. Everyone was smiling.   
  
After Paul had settled in at home, everyone let him and Kerensa have time alone together. The first thing she asked was what their father had been like. Paul smiled at the memories.   
  
"He was a great man. Never put himself first. Always helped everyone. I don't know why he and Mother ever split... No one ever told me, at any rate. He got very sick shortly after we moved to France. I cared for him for the past few years. He had his good days and his bad days... He would often talk about Mom, and he would mention someone who wasn't Mom, but I had no idea who, then I realized he meant you."   
  
"He talked about me?" She was surprised.   
  
"Yeah, I always thought he was delirious, I never knew I had a sister until..." Paul stopped here. Should he continue and tell Ren about the eerie last conversation he had with their father?   
  
"You don't have to finish." Ren was wondering a lot of things, but didn't know how to express any of it. One thing was prominent in her mind... Should she tell her brother about the scouts? The cats had never told them anything about the secrecy policy. So far as she knew, there really wasn't one, but it would be stupid to just tell people who you were. But this was somehow different. Ren decided to wait until life was a little more "normal" for Paul.   
  
When they got back to the Marcellin [A/N Nem and Akira's family name]'s for dinner (the twelve of them were all eating together), they found everyone already sitting down. Paul sat down next to Ryo, and Ren made a dash for the last empty chair between the twins. Soon everyone was eating and laughing and having a grand old time. When they had finished eating, they still sat around the long table talking. Kariana was the first to excuse herself. As she got up from the table, she collapsed. Her sister screamed. Paul and Mr. Takeshi, the two closest males, carried Kari to the living room and laid her on the couch. Mrs. Marcellin dialed for an ambulance. They waited. She came to after a few minutes. When Kari made a motion to get up, eleven people jumped at her not to move. She was taken to Tokyo Memorial Hospital.   
  
"Please, Tess. Stop it. Kari isn't going to feel any better if you keep crying," Anemone tried her best to sooth her friend. Paul had gone with the parents and Ariana to see Kari and get everything in order. Akira and Ren were sitting next to each other, looking at Tess and Nem. Ryo was looking out the window of the waiting room. He offered Tess a tissue and then they sat down together on another couch. Anemone sighed and went over to Ren and Akira.   
  
"What do you suppose is wrong?" Akira shrugged.   
  
"I don't know. She never told anyone she wasn't feeling well. She's so stubborn like that!" Kerensa bit her lip. "I'm sure she'll be fine." She didn't sound confident, though. Just then, Paul and Ariana came into the room. Everyone looked up at him. "Well?"   
  
"She's in a room. They're gave her something to make her sleep... They'll start conducting tests in the morning. The most we can do is wait and pray for her." Everyone relaxed. Tess had stopped crying. "That's all?" asked Ren, almost sharply, staring at her brother. Paul nodded and looked away. He didn't know why his sister reacted like that. It made him uncomfortable, as in she knew something that he didn't, but should know.   
  
Ren sat down first. Akira joined her on the floor. Catching on, Ariana sat down next to him, and pulled Ryo and Tess down with her. Paul and Anemone completed the circle. They began to pray, oblivious to the people staring at them as they passed the room. When the Marcellins and Takeshis found them, they were beginning the third joyful mystery of the rosary. [A/N- I'm devout Roman Catholic, and it's going to be found throughout this story, in case you haven't already realized this.] The Takeshis rounded up Ryo and the three girls, while Paul, Nem, and Akira went with the Marcellins. There were a lot of hugs as they departed. Ariana couldn't help noticing that Akira and Kerensa somewhat avoided each other. She found it strange. She was also quick to notice that Tess and Ryo hugged, even though they were going home together!   
  
After they had gotten ready for bed, Tess told Ren to come over to her and Ana's room for a slumber party. She thought it would lift Ren's mood. Ana and Tess agreed to mention the obvious crush Akira had on Ren to her, but not bring up that they noticed they seemed to be avoiding each other. Ana made a secret resolution to bring up Ryo to Tess.   
  
"Ren! Welcome to our humble room," grinned Ariana. Ren threw her pillow at her.   
  
"It was way too quiet in my room, thanks for letting me camp out."   
  
"So. Ren." Ariana started. Tess giggled as Ren looked at them. "What's up with, uh, you and Akira?" Ren turned redder than her "hooker-red" nail polish.   
  
"Absolutely nothing!... Why?" Ana shrugged as Tess said, "Well, it just seems that you're showing a particular, er, interest in him." Ren groaned and tossed pillows at the both of them. "So what if I think he's hot? He is! C'mon, admit it!" They didn't waste time in agreeing. "Well there's a difference between thinking someone's hot and actually liking them..." mused Ana, with a twinkle in her eye. "Ren. You know it. We know it. Stop pretending you don't like him!" Tess took the direct route.   
  
Ren threw her hands in the air. "Fine! I give up! I admit it! He's hot AND I like him!" Tess and Ana laughed in triumph. "We knew it. We SO knew it." Then, as an afterthought, Tess said, "Wait till we tell Nem you have a crush on her brother! She'll DIE!" "TESS!!!!" Ren dived for her and missed. She sighed resignedly. "I knew it would come out sooner or later. What difference does it make? We're here on... business. I don't have time for boys." Ren said this more to herself than her friends. Tessia and Ariana looked at each other. So this was why they seemed to be avoiding each other. They hoped their friend hadn't said anything to Akira to screw things up. Tess decided she would ever-so-timidly ask.   
  
"Ren, you did't, uh, say anything like that TO Akira, did you?" Ren eye's grew big. "Are you crazy? Why would I tell him that if I didn' t like him? He doesn't know, he's not about to find out, either. Why would you ask that?" Ariana replied, "It just seems like you're avoiding him or something." "Well maybe I am, a little..." Tess coughed. "Nem has an interesting theory," she said significantly. Ariana's smile grew. "But I don't think you'd be interested in it." Ren raised an eyebrow delicately. "I probably wouldn't." Ariana's face fell.   
  
"REN! You KNOW that's not the answer! Sometimes I could just whack you! Please please PLEASE just play along?" Ren sighed. "Oh fine. What's this theory Nem concocted?" Ariana smiled again as Tess burst out laughing. "Maybe we shouldn't tell you..." Ren could've screamed. "What is it??"   
  
"Nem thinks Akira likes YOU! And she doesn't even know that you like him. Yet." Ren's jaw dropped. "Now why in the world would she think that?" Now it was her friends' turn to roll their eyes. "Oh come ON Ren. It is so obvious!" If Ren's jaw wasn't already scraping the floor, it would've been now. "Then how come I didn't notice? I mean, really."   
  
"Ren. Do you really think he would let you know? Especially when you're trying to keep yourself from liking him in the first place. Stupid." Ariana had her own way of makig a point. "I still don't believe you." Tess was getting exasperated. "Fine, don't. It's your own loss when the two of you sit around liking each other and don't do anything about it!" Tess's eyes grew big when she finished. She was never so assertive. Ren and Ariana looked at each other and grinned. Ana had filled Ren in on the plot to get Tess with Ryo.   
  
"Hmm. Tess, dear, are you maybe giving me advice to make yourself feel better?" asked Ren soothingly. Tess looked confused. Ariana put her arm around her friend as if in confidence, and said one word: Ryo. Tess's eyes grew big and Ren laughed. "Now, now. If you can dish it, you gotta take it as well! He's got a thing for you..." Ana nudged her in the side. The girls were merciless in their teasing of each other. It was all good-natured.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Meanwhile, at the Marcellins:   
  
"Thank you for letting me, uh, live here," Paul smiled. "Hey, no problem, a friend of Ren's is a friend of ours," answered Anemone. Akira was silent. It was really bothering his sister.   
  
"Akira! WHAT is wrong with you? You were fine this morning. Now you're, like, all... despondent! Snap out of it or something. It's really starting to tick me off." Paul was almost amused at his host's outburst. Akira was not.   
  
"Look, Nem, for once, could you please just let it go? Now is really NOT a good time to be on my case. You wouldn't understand anyway." And with that, Akira strode off to his room. ~This is hell.~ He had immediately regretted yelling at his sister, but he didn't know what else to do. She hadn't left him alone all evening, since they'd gotten home from the hospital. Akira wondered how Kari was doing, and what was wrong with her. Paul was wondering the same thing as he knocked on Akira's door. After hearing a muffled, "come in!" Paul entered.   
  
"Hey, since I'm new here and all, I was wondering if we could talk?" Paul asked hopefully.   
  
"Sure, no problem. Sorry you had to witness that, er, argument between Nem and me. We usually get along. Today's just been one of those days," Akira grinned. "What do you want to know?"   
  
"Well I'd like to hear all about Juuban, and everything, but first, what do you know about my sister? And her friends?" Akira was thoughtful for a few minutes. He had no idea how to answer him. ~I think I'm in love with your sister. Oh, by the way, she's a defender of the universe. As is my sister, and their friends. Anything else you'd like to know?~ He knew he couldn't say THAT.   
  
"They only arrived in Juuban a few weeks ago. Part of an exhange program, you know. Nem was their tour guide around school the first day, that's how we all became friends. We all hang out together, the five girls, Ryo, and myself."   
  
"Ok... What about their personalities? Due to tonight's, er, unfortunate circumstances, I didn't really get to think about it. I want to know who I can joke with and whose stuffy," Paul grinned. "Vital information, basically." Akira laughed. "Oh. Let's see, where can I start?"   
  
"Tess. She's the dirty blonde. She's so nice. You can joke with her, but be careful. She's the most sensitive out of all of them. You can tell her anything, she'll never break a promise, and she keeps secrets." Paul nodded. Judging from how much she cried at the hospital, that much was obvious. "Oh, our pal Ryo likes her, so ya know." "Well I'll steer clear." They laughed.   
  
"Moving right along. Kariana, she's the one in the hospital. She's nice, too. Daring, adventurous. You can joke with her, as long as you don't mind having her say something right back. A bit of a smartass. Her sister, Ariana, is outgoing too. Only she is just plain fun-loving. I mean, really. Life's one big party for Ana." Paul raised an eyebrow. Akira shrugged. "These are only the generalizations. They're all very confusing!" He laughed. "My sister is the psycho. Not even joking. She's got a good heart, but she can be, well, blonde." Paul laughed, "I know a LOT of people like that from back in France! Now, what about my sister?" Akira sobered.   
  
"Uh... What about your sister? She's... Well, she's very nice. Supernice. But not as sweet as Tess. Talks a whole lot. But in a good way. Has a natural sense of... independence, I guess, is the best word for it. And leadership. She hates being bossed around." Akira shifted uncomfortably.   
  
"Anything else about her? At all?" Paul looked at him expectantly. Akira wouldn't look at him. Paul got the distinct feeling he knew why. "Ohhh you got a thing for HER, don't you?!" Then he immediately regretted it, "hey sorry, shouldn't overstepped my boundaries." Akira laughed now. Paul was aptly named, he was certainly humble and unassuming. "No, it's ok. Hey, we're friends. I can stand some ribbing."   
  
"You didn't answer me though." Paul said, a twinkle in his eye. "You have the hots for my sister. This is great. I've only been here a day and already there's all this stuff going on behind the scenes."   
  
"Ok, maybe I like her a little." Akira shrugged. "Don't say anything, ok?" Paul agreed. The boys had no way of knowing Anemone was listening to their whole conversation, trying extremely hard to hide her glee. She loved playing matchmaker. Ryo and Tess, Ren and her brother, it was too good. She wondered which twin she could get Paul to go for. Oh, this was going to be way too much fun.


	8. Humble Healer

Nem woke up with a start, screaming. A few moments later, her mother burst into the room. "Honey, what's wrong?" She asked, gently, rocking her daughter. "It was just a nightmare, Mom," Nem was shaking she was so scared. She'd had a dream similiar to this before. It was longer this time, and with more detail.   
  
"Go back to sleep. It was only a dream," said Mrs. Mercellin soothingly, shutting the door on her way out. ~Is it ONLY a dream?~ Nem thought bitterly. She didn't want to tell her friends about her dream; she didn't want to upset them. Suppose it wasn't only a dream?... Anemone didn't want to think about that. It couldn't have been real... Nem shivered; sleep was slow in coming.   
  
There was a guest speaker at school the next day. Her name was Miss Stenn, and she was very pretty, with long blond hair and dark eyes. She wore an unusual snake charm pendant. Miss Stenn was a candidate in the race for the office of mayor of Tokyo. When the friends walked into the auditorium, Nem gasped, "It can't be..."   
Her speech was very good, but there was something off kilter about the woman herself that the girls couldn't put their fingers on. Miss Stenn would be around for a few days observing the school and promoting her campaign in the area.   
  
Nem was unusually quiet in school that day, as was Ariana. Ren and Tess chalked it up to missing Kari, whom they went to visit after school. Their friend was NOT in a good mood.   
  
"I can't believe all the work I'm missing. I had those tests and I'm waiting for the results and you all KNOW how patient I am!" We laughed. "Hey, don't worry about. You'll be fine and then you can come home and catch up on all the stuff you missed. Doesn't that sound like fun?!" Her sister teased her good-naturedly. Kari only glared. After staying a while, the girls went home to do our own homework, which worked out perfectly because Kari said she was tired and not feeling very well.   
  
The results came back the next day. All with the same conclusions: Unknown diagnosis. Kari's doctors were all perlexed. According to her charts, there was nothing wrong with her, which was obviously not true. She couldn't even get out of bed that day. Everyone was extremely concerned.   
  
"What's WRONG with me?" Wailed the usually composed Kariana. Paul, having only met the girl, was probably the most upset, due to his only just starting to get over his father's illness. He would often stay behind and talk to Kari after the others left, if he had all his own work done.   
  
Meanwhile, Kari had been filled in on what was going on with Ryo and Tess... Or rather, what wasn't. Finally, their friends had had enough.   
  
"Uh, Ryo, pal... Tess... Yo, can we talk?" Akira finally got the ball rolling one day when the entire group of friends were relaxing in the Marcellins living room. Ryo raised an eyebrow at him.   
  
"Sure. What's up?"   
  
"Well it's just that... Oh, anyone want to help me out here? You all know how great I am with words..." Akira suddenly stammered. The others just grinned smugly. "You're doing a fine job, Akira," said Ariana sweetly. He scowled at her.   
  
"Ok. It's like this. You like her, she apparently likes you... Etcetera etcetera... And, well yeah, you can both see where I'm going with this... Common logic." Akira was very good with words, indeed, just not ones of this nature. Ryo and Tess had both turned 30 shades of red and were staring at the floor. Ryo sneaked a peak at Tess out of the corner of his eye and caught her doing the same. They smiled.   
  
"You... You like ME?" Tess asked, her voice full of amazement.   
  
"Well, y-" Ryo was cut off by Ren, who suggested they leave the two of them in privacy. Ren led the way into the kitchen for drinks.   
  
"That was sweet in its own way," said Ariana. Ren and Akira were talking, but not much. They were still avoiding each other, but it was ever so subtle. Akira blushed, and Ren looked furious. The other two were stunned at her sudden anger.   
  
"Oh, yeah, very sweet. It's just wonderful that you're trying to hook up our friends. I'm glad everything's working out for them. But why you thought that should've came from YOU is beyond me! Someone who can't sort out his own feelings, let alone respond to them! If you think you-" Tears streaming down her face, Ren ran out of the room. She didn't stop running till she was safely on the street outside the house, and began walking to the Takeshis.   
  
Back in the kitchen, Ariana, Anemone, and Akira were both stunned. Ariana made a motion to say something but no words came out. She just looked helplessly at Akira, who was now glowering. He walked slowly to his own room and slammed the door. Ariana and Nem dared wander into the living room where Ryo and Tess were chatting quietly on the couch, oblivious to what had just happened.   
  
"Uh... Did you guys see that? Do you have any idea what just happened or why??" Ariana asked.   
  
"Um. No?" Answered Tess, "mind telling us the answers to your own questions?"   
  
"We went in the kitchen and I told Aki it was sweet that he said that, and Ren got all mad and stormed out crying... I can't believe you guys didn't see her run past! Like, Oh my GOD!" Ryo and Tess both blushed. "Come on, we'd better go after her," said Tess.   
  
Meanwhile, Ren had wandered to the school lot. She sat down glumly on a swing, tears still streaming down her face. Miss Stenn approached her from behind.   
  
"What's wrong?" Miss Stenn asked. Her voice was odd. The compassion sounded fake in a way. It startled Ren. She jumped and wiped her face, stuttering.   
  
"Nothing! Everything's fine! I was just gonna get going... Uh, homework to do.." Kerensa began walking backwards out of the playground. Miss Stenn advanced towards her.   
  
"Now, now, don't run away. I want to help you..." Her face contorted evilly. Ren ran out of the playground, horrified.   
  
"Hoshi! Hoshi!!" Kerensa found Hoshi chatting with Eclipse and Diana. She stopped short. "What are you guys doing back?" Then she remembered what she'd been yelling about. "Miss Stenn!!! That candidate person! She's, I don't even know WHAT she is! But whatever it is, it's not human, and it's not good." The cats exchanged glances.   
  
"We knew the Pseudo-Darien had an accomplice..." Said Eclipse, sighing.   
  
"The pseudo what? Oh no. Tell me we're going to have to fight." The cats shook their heads no.   
  
"Not yet, at least," said Hoshi. He didn't want to worry Kerensa, she was obviously upset. She still hadn't gotten over the thing with Akira, and now this? Oy. Kerensa retired for the night. She didn't know when her friends got home; she was already asleep.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Hoshi drug the packs into the room. The four girls in the kitchen looked at him curiously. "Training. Now. Packs on. We walk," the cat said, leading the way out of the room. They arrived a short time later at the meadow they'd gone to for their first training session and all the ones they'd had since. "More vigorous attack and defense training... Also we're going to try to get you to use your powers. Transform," commanded Eclipse. The girls did so, with bewildered expressions on their faces.   
  
"Now what?" Asked Kerensa. "Now, you know your powers. We don't. I guess I should explain," began Diana. "Your sailor identities are a part of you. They're like another part of your personality. Tessia, you know you're sensitive, it's a trait. Your powers are like that; you know you have them- and what they are. There are only a few ways we can get you to figure out your powers. One is during battle. You'll automatically know what to do, what to yell." Eclipse looked thoughtful.   
  
"We could simulate a battle, or just make you pretend you're having one, but that's too dangerous." The other cats nodded.   
  
"And the other ways?" Asked Anemone. Tess added, "and what about Kariana?"   
  
"Well we aren't sure exactly. The only way I really KNOW of is during battle, but I know there ARE other ways... As for Kariana, she'll be brought up-to-date with your training as soon as she is out of the hospital. She can't do much while she's there anyway," answered Hoshi.   
  
They began their training for the day. Many fights, bruises, and hours later, the girls were exhausted and hadn't figured out their powers. They knew they wouldn't figure it out until they needed to and gave up on that part. The cats worked them some more before finally letting them go home. Since the Marcellins' house was closer, they all tumbled into Nem's living room and laid down, tired and sore.   
  
"Ughh I think I broke something," muttered Ariana. Anemone had gone to nurse a cut, and Ren couldn't reply, she was in such bad shape. Tess nodded her sympathy.   
  
"I almost think Kari's lucky she's in the hospital," said Nem as she came back in. The other three managed a laugh. Akira, Ryo, and Paul arrived home just then, laughing. They stopped short when they saw the girls.   
  
"What happened?! It looks like you were in one hell of a gang fight!" Ryo said, rushing over to Tess. She smiled at him. "Well, we were... Only with each other." The dumbfounded looks on the boys faces were priceless. Anemone wished she had a camera.   
  
"WHAT?!" Said Paul. "Why would you fight each other? What is going ON?" The four girls and Akira exchanged glances. ~Let them know. Don't let them know. Wiat. What insane excuse could we even GIVE them? I think we gotta tell them.~ thought Nem. The others were thinking basically the same thing.   
  
"We were training, and I guess we went a little overboard," volunteered Tessia.   
  
"Training? For what?"   
  
"Would you believe saving the universe?" Offered Ren.   
  
"Although that's a bit, er, out there.... Uh... Maybe you'd just better explain?" Said Ryo. Between the five of them, the story came out yet again. The girls were so exhausted it took them a while, and they were glad Akira volunteered to say the majority. Ryo's eyes were as big as saucers, but Paul didn't seem surprised.   
  
"So that's what Father meant," he said softly. Ren looked at him, puzzled. "What?"   
  
"Before he died... Our last conversation. He told me about you, and that he knew we were both special. He said you'd need my help, that you're strong but can't do it alone. That's why I had Mother ship me over here, instead of just staying with her." Ren stared at him in silence.   
  
"He knew," said Tess. "But, Paul, I don't understand... Scouts are, well, girls. How can you help?" He shrugged. "We're going to head over to see Kari, why don't you guys clean up and come with us, if you can?" The girls agreed and after changing and washing, met at the entrance to the hospital. They went up to Kariana's room. She was sleeping. More tests had been run, but the doctors still didn't know what was wrong. Kari's health hadn't improved. Contrarily, she seemed to be getting weaker.   
"I wish there was something we could do...," sighed Tess. Paul's eyes lit up. He told everyone to let him alone by the bed. His friends clumped against a wall and watched. Paul's eyes grew brighter. If his friends were ordinary people, they'd probably have been scared. However, since they themselves weren't ordinary, they just watched in amazement.   
  
Paul extended his hands over Kariana's sleeping form, and a white light shot from them at her. Ren felt her knees give but couldn't look away. She realized Akira had caught her and was holding her. As the beam of light grew, Paul's eyes became brighter. He became chanting words in a low, deep voice. They were audible, but yet, his friends couldn't make them out. Kariana half-rose from her bed, but as soon as the chanting stopped, she fell back and woke up. Paul's eyes returned to normal and the light was gone. Ren had fainted.   
  
"Hi guys! What's going on? What happened? Why are you all looking at me funny? Wow. That nap must've really done something; I feel great!" She stopped. "What happened to her?" Akira picked Ren up and set her gently in the chair by Kari's bed. He went into the bathroom and returned with a cup of water, which he splashed on her. She roused slowly, stunned.   
  
"Paul! When you were doing that... It felt like, like someone was sucking the life right out of me; I just couldn't help it... You cured her!" Now Kariana was confused. Paul explained that he remembered a part of his final conversation with his father. He didn't know how he'd known what to do- what he could do- he'd just done it.   
  
"It seems that when you do it, your sister becomes drained. There must be a connection. You must combine your energies to achieve your power," mused Anemone. It was the only plausible explanation. Ryo, meanwhile, had left and returned with a doctor, who gave Kari a full examination then rang a nurse to have her call the Takeshis.   
  
"This makes no sense... first it seems like you're healthy, but you're obviously not. And now you're just... OK. Teenagers," he muttered as he left. "I'll have your release papers signed tonight." As soon as he left, the girls filled Kari in on the training she'd missed. She grinned and replied she was up for a challenge.   
  
The Takeshis arrived shortly and, although pleased, were quite stunned at the turn of events. They agreed to let Anemone sleep over to celebrate, but the girls would have to be good, Kari still needed to recuperate. While the girls knew Kari was perfectly fine, they agreed. The teens walke behind the group, with Akira and Ren at the back. They were walking silently. Ren wanted to talk to him; she didn't know why she wanted to, but no words would come. Finally as he and Paul were leaving for the Marcellins, she asked him if he would meet her at the pier the next day to talk. He didn't seem surprised, and consented to be there for one o'clock. Ren put this from her mind so she could enjoy the night's festivities. She couldn't wait for tomorrow, but was dreading it at the same time.


	9. First Battle and Some Fluff

Pelagia Stenn found herself in the woods, waiting. She grew impatient. It was almost one. Where were they?   
  
Akira reached the pier first. As Kerensa approached, she watched him pace the dock. She wondered if she was out of her mind. What would she say to him? She reached him, and he turned and looked at her, expressionless. Stenn saw them at this time and transformed. She advanced towards them swiftly.   
  
"Akira-" Ren was cut off by Akira charging her and shoving her out of the way as a huge hideous serpent sprung at her. She gasped, then shouted "GRAVITY TRANSFORM POWER!" without thinking. The serpent shot something sticky out of its mouth, pinning Sailor Gravity to a nearby tree and knocking the breath out of her.   
  
"Foolisssh ssschoolgirl!"   
  
Ren struggled against her bounds but she couldn't move. Just then, a man wearing armor-like clothes carrying a sword appeared. He freed her with his sword as she gaped at him. She looked into his eyes, but before she could react he had disappeared. Where he had been, her newly transformed friends stood. She joined the line and faced the serpent.   
  
"And jussst whooo are you?" It hissed.   
  
"We are the Sailor Scouts! We stand for Justice-" began Ren.   
  
"Truth!" Added Kariana.   
  
"Happiness!" That was Anemone.   
  
"Peace!" Interjected Ariana.   
  
"And Love!" Finished Tessia. The serpent gave what resembled a laugh, if you can imagine what that would sound like. It circled the line of girls and then transformed itself into a creature with a snake-like head and tail, but human-like body that looked like it was of superior strength. Then it began to run towards Tess. The scouts had had enough.   
  
"GRAVITY REPEL ATTACK!" Shouted Ren. A purple beam of light exploded from her hands and hit the monster, who began to float. Ren was stunned. Just then, Tess yelled, "EARTH BINDING ATTACK!" The monster was now not only floating, it had chains of an unbreakable rope securing its arms and legs.   
  
"Shall we have some fun?" Anemone asked gleefully. Then she yelled, "WIND STORM ATTACK!" From nowhere, a heavy wind blew the creature across the lake. Tess high-fived Nem. The twins grinned at each other and asked Ren if she could bring it back to be finished off. Ren yelled, "GRAVITY ATTRACTION POWER!" And the monster was seen flying towards the five. The twins grinned at each other and simultaneously yelled, "NOVA LIGHTBEAM ATTACK!" And "DARKNESS DESTRUCTION POWER!" The white and black beams hit the serpent like creature at the same time and it screamed and exploded, showering small pieces of itself on the girls who grimaced and wiped it off. They stared at each stunned, then began shouting and jumping and grinning. "We've got to tell Hoshi!" Just then, a gold snake pendant landed a little ways away from the girl. Akira picked it up as he walked towards the girls. Ren was the only one who looked startled. Her mind flashed to the man in the armor... ~It couldn't be~ Now she needed to talk to him more than ever. She'd test him first.   
  
"That was amazing. Did any of you see the man who saved me?" Ren asked. The girls all chorused no and asked what happened, but Akira remained silent. "Akira, didn't you see him? You were at the pier before me and when everything happened..." He just shook his head no. This baffled the girl. Akira held out his hand to show them the necklace.   
  
"Anyone recognize this?"   
  
"I do! It was Miss Stenn's! I remember seeing it during the assembly and thinking it was unusual. I saw her wearing it before. When I left your house the other day, I went to the playground and she surprised me. This... this thing that we destroyed, it was her, I'm sure of it." Ren looked down. She didn't want to think of when she'd been so upset.   
  
When the group reached the Takeshis', they found the cats upstairs. They quickly recounted what had happened. The cats were both pleased and upset.   
  
"It's wonderful that you found out some of your powers, but I don't like that they made a move. Apparently, PseudoDarien has learned of your existence. I just hope he waits to do anything else till we can meet with Serena and the girls."   
  
"PseudoDarien?"   
  
"He's who you're up against. The real Prince Darien was kidnapped, and an impostor has been acting in his place. While we've known for some time, we've been helpless to do anything but pretend we don't know. This "PD," as we refer to him, is evil and wants to destroy the Sailor Scouts," Eclipse was thoughtful, "Let me give you the background on the other Scouts and their history."   
  
"Serena is Sailor Moon. She is the leader of all the Scouts, and technically, your superior. She doesn't know this yet. Together with her friends, Lita (Sailor Jupiter), Mina (Sailor Venus), Ami (Sailor Mercury), Rei (Sailor Mars) and Rini (Sailor Mini-Moon), they have fought and defeated several powerful enemies. Serena is NeoQueen Serenity. Her husband is Prince Darien, who is just Serena's boyfriend, Darien, here on Earth now. His other identity is Tuxedo Mask, who helps the Scouts. He was the one who was kidnapped. If anything should happen to Serena and Darien, a new Queen would have to have been chosen. I dare say that it is fated-" She stopped, "That is pure speculation on my part, and I only wanted to give you a little history. Please forgive any of my own, er, right-wing opinions." The five girls, Ryo, and Paul, who had just come in, hung on the cat's every word. Akira was lost in thought. He gave a pleading look to the cat, who nodded almost imperceptibly. Akira relaxed.   
  
"Ren. You'd wanted to talk to me, that's why we were at the pier, remember? Would you want to go for a walk and, well, start our conversation?" he asked. She nodded and they left. Their friends watched them go.   
  
"This should be interesting," said Anemone. "I wonder..." mused Diana. She looked questioningly at Eclipse, who nodded. Diana's eyes grew wide and Hoshi laughed. The humans just looked puzzled. "Wonder what?" asked Ariana.   
  
"Uh, nothing. We can't tell you, yet," said Hoshi. "HMPH," said Kari.   
  
As this was going on, Akira and Kerensa were walking silently down the street in the twilight. It would be dark soon.   
  
"Akira. Well, I guess I should start. Why have you been avoiding me?" Ren asked him. She didn't want to confront any of her own feelings, so she decided to start by asking him about his first.   
  
"I've been avoiding you because... well, I know you and your friends are here for a reason, as we, er, saw today. And I don't want to get in anyone's way." He wasn't lying, he just wasn't giving her the whole truth, and she knew it. She decided to lay down all her cards. What did she have to lose?   
  
"Well I understand that, but you haven't been going out of your way to avoid my friends. Only me. What gives?" He looked down at her. ~uh oh. Busted. Moment of truth time. Or... I could tell her my secret. Then I wouldn't have to tell her the rest of it. Although I'm sure it will all come out eventually. The cats know. The cats know I know they know. Oh Lord, not that. I always confuse myself with that. Oh yeah, answer Ren!~ He sighed and opted to give up his secret first. But before he could say anything, she beat him to it. She turned to face him completely, her eyes bright.   
  
"It's you! I know it! I recognized your eyes, that's why you disappeared so fast today. You're the one who saved me, aren't you? It explains why you said what you did that day in the kitchen, 'You don't know what's expected yet' You knew because you've done it already." ~Woah. How'd she figure that out? I thought I was too fast.~   
  
"Yeah. I knew I couldn't hide it forever, but I didn't know if I could tell you."   
  
"Is that why you haven't been talking to me?" she asked softly. ~Aw, shit. I can't do this anymore. I have to tell her the rest of it. She's smart, she'll put two and two together anyway.~ "Ren, maybe we'd better sit down or something. I have a lot to say..." And with that, they walked silently to the park and sat on the closest bench they could find.   
  
"Ok. God, I don't know where to even start, what to say," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. ~God he looks good when he does that... You know what? I'm gonna stop berating myself for thinking like that. I can't help who I fall in like with... Am I lying to myself when I say like? I don't know...~ Ren thought.   
  
"It's a good thing that cats explained what they did today, or I wouldn't be able to tell you this. You'd never understand. I'm assuming, of course, that you will now. Anemone has these dreams. She can see things in the future. She told me about them only for fear of going insane and swore me to secrecy. Well, anyway, she had one describing today's fight. She, by the way, doesn't know who the guy with the sword is, and I'd prefer if for now she didn't." She nodded, "Go on."   
  
"I'm not sure if all her dreams are prophetic like that, but some are sure interesting. At any rate, shortly after she told me about her dreams, I had one. It was the only one I ever had, and I didn't tell anyone about it. The night before, Anemone and I had a deep conversation about hers, and I figured that whatever lets her have them wore off on me for a particular reason. Whatever power is behind her premonitions didn't want Nem to have this one. Because it involves me, it gave it to me." Ren was captivated and hung on his every word. "What was it? Or can't you tell me?" He had been looking at her the whole time he'd been speaking, and she'd not only been intently digesting what he was saying, she'd been thinking very hard about her feelings. In that short time, she'd come to the definite conclusion that there was something between them that she couldn't explain and wondered if he felt it too.   
  
"The whole point is that this dream involves you, too." This surprised Ren beyond belief. "It DOES?" She paused and stood up. "Stop, please." She needed to know. Before they could continue, she needed to know how he felt. "Akira, before you say anything else, answer me this: how do-" she was cut off by Akira sweeping her into his arms and kissing her deeply.   
  
"Does that answer your question?" he said softly. Ren was practically shaking. "So you feel it too?"   
  
"Ren, that's what I'm getting at. Of course I feel it too. This isn't something we can control. My dream- it was of you and I together, standing over a dead Serena and Darien. Since I had this dream, I've been considering all the similarities between you and I and the two of them. It's not a coincidence, all these circumstances. You and I are the new Serena and Darien." Now Kerensa's mouth was hanging open. "Are you sure?" He nodded.   
  
"I thought at first that it was only a dream. Then I started drawing these conclusions. I knew how I felt about you, and that I couldn't explain it. I watched the cats when we were together. They know. If you don't believe me, ask them. They know all that's going to happen. I don't know how, but they do. It's creepy. Talking cats that know the future." Akira smiled. By now, Ren was visibly shaking. Akira held her tighter. "Are you OK?"   
  
"It's just... I mean, Hoshi said Kari and I are co-captains... I mean, if your dream's right, and Serena and Darien die, and we, we're 'chosen' as the new- OH MY GOD!- Are you really trying to tell me that I'm supposed to be the New NeoQueen Serenity? But she's, like, the supreme ruler of the universe, isn't she?"   
  
"Er, something like that, yes." Ren gasped. Akira kissed her again. "Do you think I'd lie to you? Especially about something as important as this?" Ren shook her head no. She'd known, in her own way, for a while that whatever she felt for Akira wasn't normal. Wasn't something she had any power over. She'd just assumed, hey that's how crushes go, but deep down   
Ren knew her feelings were more than that. He definitely proved it. Even if he'd said no words, Akira had shown her the depth of their emotions.   
  
"I don't know what to say..." she murmured. "This is all so... unbelievable. And you're sure about... their deaths?"   
  
"Well that's the only part I'm not sure of, actually," he smiled. "If you five are supposed to fight and defeat PD, then Serena and Darien shouldn't be harmed. I doubt if you fail in this mission that you'd be alive to stand over their dead bodies with me, you know?" This did make sense. "But I do know for sure our being together is real." She touched his cheek.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you avoid me? I thought..." Ren didn't finish.   
  
"I was scared. I didn't know if I was right," he laughed softly, "Come on, I'm a guy! Love is a scary thing to begin with." Kerensa picked her head up swiftly and stared at him. He was smiling. She kissed him long and hard. When they finally broke away, Ren moved away from him, breathless.   
  
"We'd better go home, it's dark out," Kerensa said. "Should we tell them anything?" Akira was thoughtful.   
  
"We can tell them we're going out, at least," he grinned. Kerensa raised an eyebrow delicately. "Oh, are we?" she teased him. He gave a low growl and kissed her. "We'll if we aren't, we'll have a hard time explaining why we keep doing that. But anyway, the rest of it... talk to the cats if you want. In fact, please do. Let me know what they tell you." Holding hands, they walked back in silence, smiling. Their friends were waiting anxiously. They didn't want to know what had happened. Most probably, they'd gotten in a fight and killed each other. The whole group was quite surprised to see Ren walk in smiling, followed by a beaming Akira. They thought it was a prank. The two apparent enemies smiling after being alone together, come on!   
  
"Uh, guys, if this is your idea of some sick joke, it's working. I'm scared!" said Nem. The others agreed. Ren and Akira laughed. "What?!"   
  
"We thought you'd have killed each other by now, with how you've been acting lately. We thought you might've- you'll laugh at this- had crushes on each other, but we were way off on that one!" joked Ryo. Ren and Akira looked at each, shocked.   
  
"They thought you liked me?!" gasped Ren in amazement. Akira shuddered. "What's wrong with them?" Ren's eyes flashed dangerously and she advanced towards Akira.   
"*Phew* For a minute there I was really worried you didn't hate each other anymore," said Kari.   
  
As she reached him, Akira grabbed Ren and held her in front of him, his hands resting comfortably around her waist. Ren just smiled up at him and glanced at her friends, whose eyes were as big as saucers.   
  
"Ok, now I'm just confused. First they're acting like friends, then Ren looks like she's gonna kill Akira, and now they're... Well," said Tessia. The couple laughed.   
  
"Should I tell them, or do you want to?" Ren asked. He said, "Well you know how good I am with words, allow me. Guys, we're going out." The cats had been milling about on the floor not really paying attention, but when Akira made this announcement they froze and looked up at them, then at each other, and then quickly left the room for a meeting. Meanwhile, the girls were hugging Ren and everyone was high-fiving Akira.   
  
"Way to go, Akira! I honestly thought you hated her ever since you've been avoiding each other..." said Paul. Nem was almost disappointed. "I didn't get to hook you up! I wanted to do it myself. Akira, since when did you ever do anything yourself when it comes to people?!"   
  
Akira grinned. "This is very different. You don't even know the half of it," he said seriously.


	10. Coincidences (an Interlude)

"This can't be happening!" shouted Tessia, as she fell to the ground. Her friends were in a heap nearby. They lay still until the earth stopped shaking. Just as Anemone started to climb to her feet, a great rumble shook the earth again; this time causing the street to split open. Nem fell back once again.   
  
"Don't move yet!" Cried Kari. "It's not over!" The shaking got more ferocious, and the girls screamed as the tree next to them split and fell, landing just inches from Ariana's head. Ren looked up and saw the powerlines whipping viciously. Any second, they would snap and the girls would be electrocuted. What could they do? Kariana had an idea. She managed to shout over the noise of destruction:  
  
"TRANSFORM!" And they did.   
  
"Why?! What can we do?!" Tess shouted, just as the powerlines finally gave up their fight to remain connected to the pole. The thickest one swooped down and was about to hit a frozen-with-fear Anemone but it just stopped, suspended in mid-air thanks to Ren yelling "GRAVITY REPEL ATTACK!" at the offending cable.   
  
"Tess! Use your powers! Stop the quake!" Kari shouted. By now, they had figured out that Tess could control nature if she tried hard enough. She was doubtful on this occasion.  
  
Tess climbed to her feet, swaying slightly, but miraculously remaining standing amid the chaos. She concentrated very hard and lifted her hands above her head. A ball of green energy formed, glowing brightly as she continued to focus her power. Then, she yelled "NATURE CALMING POWER!" and the light expanded over the entire sky, and then, with a noise louder than any thunderclap, seemed to explode. As it did so, everything stopped shaking. The girls gaped at each other.   
  
"Wow. That was really cool, Tess," said Anemone. The others agreed, after they had transformed back. A man ran up to them.  
  
"Are you all right? Was anyone hurt? Do you need to go to a hospital?" He asked, as he ushered them away from the rubble and fallen lines. The girls looked at each other and burst into giggles. Concerned, the man began forcing them towards the nearest ambulances, but Anemone interrupted that they were fine. Giving them a strange look, he hurried off to 'help' someone else.  
  
"That was one hell of an earthquake! There hasn't been one of that caliber for I don't know how many years!" exclaimed Anemone. "We're lucky we're alive." The others agreed.  
  
"We've gotten more use of our powers in the past two days than in the whole time we've known we had them!" griped Ariana. Kerensa found that funny, for some reason, and could hardly surpress her laughter. She literally fell onto her knees in a fit of hysterics. Gasping for breath, she finally managed to contain herself, as her friends looked at her in a mixture of fascination and agitation. Climbing to her feet, Ren apologized and the group continued walking. Apparently, they had been standing over the origin of the quake and the location was most badly hit.   
  
The building they had just come out of was now a pile of rubble, but luckily everyone had managed to get out at the first signs of an earthquake. The people of Tokyo were used to this kind of thing. The four Americans were not, and the five girls had been very lucky indeed. No one had a reasonable explanation for what stopped the earthquake so suddenly, or why Anemone hadn't been hit with the cable. Apparently, someone had seen them snap, but hadn't seen any of the Sailor activity.   
  
The girls headed home, anxious with worry over Ryo, Akira and their respective parents. Fortunately, no one had been harmed, and the parents had been franctic trying to find the five girls. When they appeared, Mrs. Takeshi hugged Kariana; her husband hugged the twin. Mrs. Marcellin grabbed her daughter and her husband hugged Tess. Akira held Ren tightly. Paul and Ryo, feeling left out, hugged each girl in turn, except for Ren, because Akira still hadn't let her go.  
  
"We were so worried! The news report said the library was located right over the focus of the quake, and we knew you were all studying there. How did you get out? Are you sure you're all right?" Mrs. Takeshi asked. The girls nodded and explained they had just left the library and were in the street. At this, the parents faced became more harried looking.  
  
"You were in the STREET? With the building crumbling and the trees and the, oh God, the powerlines!" The girls were afraid Mrs. Marcellin would faint. They didn't feel it imperative to tell the woman the powerlines had indeed fallen.   
  
Once everyone had calmed down, the teens went upstairs to the computer/TV room to hang out. The girls told the guys everything that happened. Anemone remembered to thank Kerensa for saving her life. Ren just blushed in reply.   
  
"Always modest, right?" Teased Akira, kissing her on the cheek.   
  
"I wonder what caused the earthquake. Like Nem said, there hasn't been one this strong since, well, I don't know! It seems strange that there should be one suddenly like that, so strong," Kari said thoughtfully.  
  
"Right over where we were, too. Coincidence?" Ariana threw in, darkly. Tess' eyes grew wide at this.  
  
"You don't think that had anything to do with it, did you? Where's Eclipse and Hoshi?!" The cats, having been on their way in, made their entrance into the room a little faster.   
  
"Hoshi! Eclipse! That earthquake today, did it have anything to do with, well, us?" Anemone was quite frank. The cats blinked.  
  
"No? We don't believe so. Why would you think that?" Asked Hoshi.  
  
"Oh, I dunno. Just some coincidences. Ya know, no really bad quakes for a while, all of a sudden, there's one, right where we are... Just thought maybe one of the baddies could control nature like our friend Tess here," Kari said, good-naturedly.  
  
"Oh. Well, that is a bit of a coincidence. Like Hoshi said, we don't think so," said Eclipse. The girls sighed in relief. Diana looked at Eclipse, but nothing seemed out of place at all.   
  
"There is one thing, though," Diana started. The girls looked up sharply, as did the boys. "The, er, other scouts... They aren't stupid. They're going to realize that earthquake didn't just... stop. I think maybe you guys should, well, meet." Hoshi and Eclipse were nodding, although even Diana didn't seem convinced this was an entirely good idea. The girls pondered.  
  
"Well, it doesn't seem like you are all endorsing this as much as you'd like. If the scouts are going to figure it out, why not just let them? Then we can all talk or whatever," suggested Ren. It was the cats' turn to sigh in relief. Hoshi then coughed.  
  
"Erm, good idea, yes," he said. So that was settled. Secretly, everyone wondered just how long of a wait it would be. Apparently, not that long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long to write, I had something but decided not to use it till a later chapter... Possibly the next one, or the one after that. =) Also, I've been bogged down with schoolwork, but hey, here it is, chapter ten! I know it's a bit short, but what do you want for a half hour or so worth of writing? Now if you'll all excuse me, I have to go work on the never-ending pile of English III homework. *cough begs for sympathy and reviews cough* 


	11. East Meets West

"Anyone wishing to help in the clean-up effort, please come to City Hall this Saturday morning, for 9 o'clock," the news reporter said. The earthquake, as strong as it had been, had only destroyed the library. Some books had actually been salvaged, but the clean-up would take a while. Everyone in the Takeshi and Marcellin households wanted to go on Saturday.  
  
When they arrived, an announcement was being repeated to sign up in groups of fifteen. The group would then be assigned something to do based on their ability. The parents went to find a group, and the eight teens started one of their own. As they waited for more people, they watched everyone. A boy was staring at Ariana, but no one noticed. He eventually signed up as the ninth person for their group.  
  
"Hi, I'm Max Kanagawa," he said, coming over to them. The girls exchanged looks, and Max laughed. "Yes, my father is your history teacher." Everyone joined in Max's laughter now.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Max," they said. Just then, a tall brunette walked up to the registration table.   
  
"Guys, here's a group with only nine people! The six of us can finish that one," she said. Four other girls and a guy joined her at the table and signed their names, then made their way over to Max and the rest of them.  
  
"Is this the right group? Kerensa Nile, Ariana Cosmos...," a girl with long blond hair asked. Everyone nodded and welcomed the six.   
  
"I'm Ren, this here's Ariana, Kariana, she's Tess, and that's Anemone," Ren started. "Over there's Akira, Ryo, Paul, and Max. Who are all of you?"   
  
"Well, I'm Lita," began the brunette. At this, the girls, Akira, Ryo, and Paul exchanged glances. They said nothing, and let the girl continue the introductions. "That's Mina." Lita gestured at the blond.   
  
"I'm Ami," a girl with short blue hair said warmly, as a girl with long black hair gave her name, Rei. "And those two are Serena and Darien." Ami pointed to the blond with her hair in two buns on top of her head, and the tall black-haired boy who were approaching the group. Kariana had to step on her twin's foot to keep her from gasping, or saying something. Ren recovered first, and hoped the girls hadn't noticed their reactions.  
  
"It's nice to meet you. It's a shame about the quake. We were in the library at the time, that's why we want to help," Ren said. Rei raised an eyebrow and looked at the pile of rubble that had been the library. (It was across from city hall, and down two blocks.)   
  
"You were in THAT?"   
  
"Well, we had just gone into the street."  
  
"Oh."   
The fifteen got to work. They had been assigned to book retrieval- searching the rubble for anything salvagable, books and the like. After a few hours, the fire department sponsored a hot dog picnic for everyone at the clean-up, and Serena and friends went by themselves to eat. They weren't being rude, they just wanted some privacy. Max, however; sat down next to Ariana once they all had their food. As the morning had progressed, the group found him to be a great guy- humorous, fun-loving, but not usually serious.   
  
"We really made progress, eh?" Max said, glancing at the rubble and then at their bags containing what they'd found. Tess shrugged.   
  
"Every little bit, you know?" Max had nodded, and continued eating. The group reassembled after lunch, and went back to work. In actually, the fifteen of them were quite efficient, having filled at least 8 garbage bags with books and other such things. At 4:30, everyone was allowed to leave, and Serena and compandy departed after promising to stay in touch with their new friends. The remaining nine worked for another forty-five minutes or so before Ryo found his parents and asked if Max could come over for dinner. The Takeshis planned on staying longer, but said that would be fine. Max left to shower and change, and everyone else went to their respective houses to do the same. Tess and Ryo got to shower first because they were cooking dinner and wanted to get started.   
  
"Ren, bathroom's free!" Shouted Kari as she finished toweling her long, red hair. Tess was in the kitchen, and Ariana had just finished dressing. Max, Paul, Akira, and Anemone had just arrived and were seated in the living room.  
  
"My God, you people are so slow! Everybody's here already and I haven't even showered!" Ren said as she made a mad dash for the shower. Everyone laughed and went back to what they were doing. Just as Ren was rinsing her shampoo, someone knocked.  
  
"Ren, could you hurry up? I have to use the bathroom!" Akira said through the door.   
  
"Maybe for that, I'll be extra slow!" She shouted back. And she did. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, Akira was almost on the floor. He glowered at her as she smiled sweetly and brushed past him.  
  
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," she said to her friends as she went into her room. She stopped dead in her doorway and stared. In the middle of the room, the mirror was levitating, and glowing brighter than ever. Just then, there was a shout from the living room. Anemone had just stood up to help Tess, and sank to her knees in pain.   
  
"My head! Ooohhh," she wailed. "Ren, do you have any aspirin?" Quickly forgetting the mirror, she went to help her friend. Akira whispered something to her, and Nem nodded. Akira followed Ren into the bathroom.   
  
"She had another vision," he said, making Ren almost drop the pills she had just gotten.   
  
"Did she get to tell you about it or not? No, I suppose not..." Ren said. Then, "Akira! The mirror! It's floating! You don't think there's a connection... Do you?" Akira shook his head.   
  
"We don't know. And since the cats are out for a little 'nature walk,' and Max is here, there's nothing we can do," he said, frustrated. Ren nodded, and went to give Nem the aspirin. She did ask him to help spread word about the mirror. It could be important.   
  
Soon, Ryo and Tess called everyone to the table for dinner. Tess had proven herself yet again to be a fantastic chef.   
  
"Wow, you made this? Are you sure?" Teased Kariana. Ryo scowled.   
  
"Very funny," he said. Everyone quickly agreed that the two of them had done a splendid job. Ren nonchalantly brought up Serena.  
  
"So, do you think we'll hear from those girls?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, Ren, maybe," Tess said thoughtfully, around a mouthful of food.   
  
"I definitely think so," muttered Kari. Max looked at her from his seat two places down.   
  
"My dad told me we got some American girls, I wonder why I haven't seen you around?" He said, to the four.  
  
"That's odd, we're always out and about!" Ariana said, giggling. "Anyways, what do you guys want to do after dinner? I'm getting sick of watching movies, and it's too cold to go to the pier anymore," she pouted.  
  
"Once it gets really cold, we can go ice-skating there," Anemone said.   
  
"Well, that's great, but what can we do now?" Ren asked, bored. She had been doodling on the table with her finger. To occupy herself, she set about doing the dishes. Akira got up to help her.  
He followed her into the kitchen, his arms laden with plates. After securing the left overs, they collected the dinner plates and silverware.  
  
"Ren?"  
  
"Hmm?" She was distracted.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Ren dumped the load of forks into the soapy water.  
  
"Nothing. I'm just trying to think of any sort of connection between the mirror and us. There has to be one," she sighed. Akira wiped soap bubbles on her nose.  
  
"Relax, we'll figure it out," he said. Ren wiped her nose off and smiled.   
  
"Yeah, I suppose so," she said, and lunged at him with a handful of bubbles, starting an allout foam war. It ended with them and the floor covered in soap, laughing. Ren slipped on the tile and fell into Akira's arms.   
  
"Careful!" he said, without letting go. She smiled up at him.   
  
"You're a mess," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow at her sopping wet clothes.  
  
"So're you." Ren glanced down at herself and blushed.   
  
"I... should go... change..." She stammered, slipping from his grasp. She started to leave the kitchen, and faltered. "We should clean up first!" And they did. It took them surprisingly less time than they thought it would. None of their friends had even come in to see what had happened to them. This, of course, could be on purpose. Once they had finishing drying the floor, Ren looked at Akira.  
  
"We can't just go out there looking like this," she said.   
  
"I say we make a mad dash for the bedrooms... Ryo won't mind if I borrow some clothes," Akira suggested. Considering you couldn't actually see them leaving the kitchen from the den, where the group now was, Ren found it amusing as they high-tailed it down the hall.   
  
"I wonder what they're doing," she said, as she opened her bedroom door and looked in. She gasped. The mirror was laying on the floor, glowing as usual. Akira came over to her from Ryo's room.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Just that the mirror... It's back to normal now," she responded. Akira stepped into the room Ren and Kari shared and picked the mirror up, studying it.   
  
"Depends on what you consider normal," he grinned. Ren poked him and took the mirror, putting it away. How it had gotten out of its hiding spot was a mystery to her, but she didn't want to dwell. Akira came up behind her and kissed her cheek.  
  
"Do you think they miss us?" Ren almost snorted.  
  
"Are you kidding? Most likely not," she grinned, turning to face him. For a few moments, they just stared at each other before Akira finally looked away, stuttering he had better change his clothes, he was getting the carpet wet. Closing the door behing him, Ren sighed and grabbed a change of clothes and stripped off her wet ones. Just as she finished, there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in!" She yelled. The door opened, and Kari stuck her head in.   
  
"There you are! Where's Akira?" As she asked, she walked over to the closet and flung open the doors. Ren just laughed.   
  
"He's in Ryo's room. He needed to borrow a change of clothes... Didn't you guys notice the bubble war we had in the kitchen? I mean, it's all cleaned up now but..." Ren trailed off as Kari's eyebrows shot up. She apparently didn't believe her best friend.   
  
"Well, whatever. You guys won't believe who just called," she said, excited.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Serena. And she invited us all for a picnic next weekend!" 


	12. Wrongfully Accused

Anemone dashed into school and ran into homeroom, panting. Akira had left without her, lest he would be late. Her alarm clock had failed to go off for some unknown reason.   
  
"Sorry I'm late," she said, just as the morning announcements came on. Various people were called to various offices, no one ever paid attention. Then Nem heard her own name. To the Main Office. She gulped and gathered up her things before heading out of the room.   
  
"Anemone Dayo, the principal would like to see you," the secretary said, her expression unreadable.   
  
"Anemone, have a seat," said the principal, after Nem had shut the office door behind her. Anemone did as she was told.   
  
"What's this about, Mrs. Adal?" Anemone asked nervously. She received a stern look from the principal and flinched. She honestly couldn't think of anything that could be wrong.  
  
"This is serious, Anemone. A locker search was conducted this morning and we found this in yours," Mrs. Adal said, thrusting a small bag of white powder at her. Anemone gazed at it stupidly.  
  
"Uh, what is it? It's not mine," she said. This only angered her principal.  
  
"Don't play dumb! You know very well what that is! How did you get it? Where or who did you get it from? I expected so much more from you, Anemone. Your parents will be notified of this, of course, and will deal with you accordingly. We won't call the police, since you don't even have a demerit otherwise, but you are being suspended for the time being."  
  
Anemone looked at her principal with a mixture of horror and fear as realization dawned on her. The stuff in the bag was cocaine. And it had been found in her locker.  
  
"Mrs. Adal! You've got to believe me! That's not mine, I swear! I wasn't even HERE this morning! I came in late. Someone had to have put it there, I don't use that, I don't know where to even get it, not that I would, and there has to be some mistake-" Nem began to cry. Mrs. Adal softened a little, but her mind was made up. She quickly stiffened her resolve.  
  
"Anemone, I know this is hard for you to admit, but we can get you help. We're only looking out for your best interests. You can tell me, where did you get it?" Mrs. Adal's voice was soothing, but it did nothing to calm down the hysterical girl in front of her. The principal dialed out, and soon Mr. Marcellin was in the office, distraught. He looked at his daughter with an expression of disbelief, as if he'd been betrayed or let down.   
  
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Adal, we didn't know," he was saying. Anemone had blocked him out. How could this happen? Why didn't they believe her? Like the principal had said, she didn't even have a demerit on her record. For anyone to think Anemone Dayo Marcellin was a drug addict was absolutely preposterous. But it was happening. Dully, she and her father left the school building and drove home in silence.   
  
"Dad?" She asked quietly. He glanced over at her, but said nothing. "Dad, you can't really believe that stuff's mine, can you?" Still he was silent. A solitary tear ran down Nem's cheek as she realized he did believe it. She slumped in her seat as the car pulled up to the house. Anemone locked herself in her room. She heard Akira get home from school, Paul had gone over Max's; heard his father's muffled voice telling him what happened. Would he believe it? She didn't know, didn't WANT to know. There was a soft knock at her door.  
  
"Go away," she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.  
  
"Nem, it's Akira. Please open the door," his voice sounded strained. Sighing, Nem did so.  
  
"What? Do you want to scold me, too? Tell me you expected more? Do you think I've let down the whole family?" She cried, bursting into tears once again. Akira gave her a hug.  
  
"Nem, I know you're always out of it, but it's not drugs. That's just you, little sis. You're that psychotic. God only knows how much more whacked out you'd be if you WERE on drugs," he said, knowingly. For the first time that day, Anemone laughed.  
  
"I'm so glad you believe me," she said. "No one else does. I don't want to know what's going to happen to me when Mom 'finds out.'"   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Anemone and Akira were tense as they made their way to the dinner table. Their mother sat in her seat, not looking at anyone. Their father was bringing the food out to the table. Mrs. Marcellin looked up at Anemone, and the girl saw disappointment, love, sadness, pity, and... was that loathing? on her face. She involuntarily backed away from the table.   
  
"Mom?" She whispered. Her mother sat as stonily as before. Then, after what seemed like an enternity, she looked once again at her daughter. Her expression still hadn't changed.  
  
"Anemone. How could you do this?" Her words sounded strangled, as if she were trying very hard not to cry and it wasn't working, "your father and I were talking." At this, Mr. Marcellin looked down at his plate, his appetite suddenly gone. He knew what was coming, what he and his wife and decided on, and while neither of them liked it very much, they felt they had no choice.   
  
"We know this is hard for you. It's hard on all of us," a swift glance at Akira revealed nothing, and the woman continued, "we've thought of many possibilities, but nothing seems like it would be effective."  
  
"Effective?" Anemone swallowed hard, and put down her fork. She suddenly wasn't hungry anymore, either.   
  
"Yes, effective. We don't like it, but we think it's the only way. We don't know who's your... supplier or anything like that," she spit these words out, "but we think the only way to help you is.... to send you to boarding school. Just for a lit-" Anemone rose so quickly her chair fell over.  
  
"Mom, no! You can't! It's not mine, don't you understand!? Why won't anyone believe me?! You can't do this! I can't go away, not now! Please, don't do this. You're wrong! Please!" Anemone was pleading, but she could tell from the look in her mother's eyes that it was tearing her heart out not being able to relent.   
  
"Anemone, it's for your own good, you see? They can help you while you're there; it's only for a little while. Then you can come home and move on with your life, and we can deal with whatever caused this..." the mother trailed off. Nem ran from the room, crying. Akira just stared at them both.  
  
"Why are you doing this? Why don't you believe her? She's obviously not on drugs, you know..." He started. A look from his father silenced him.   
  
"The cocaine was found in her locker. I saw the stuff myself. There was an entire baggy full, Akira. People don't just have bags of illegal drugs lying around in their lockers," he said harshly.  
  
"How do you know it's hers? Someone could have put it there by mistake... She wasn't even in school this morning! And if it was hers, why would she have left it there?" He was grasping at straws.  
  
"How should I know? I don't know how someone on drugs thinks," this last part was sad with a note of horror. "Why would someone put something as expensive as that in a person's locker by mistake, Akira? I'm sorry, I know you're very close to your sister, but there's nothing else to say. This discussion is closed," his father finished wearily. Akira, too, rose from the table and strode from the room. The cold food sat untouched, and Mrs. Marcellin went about cleaning up.   
  
Meanwhile, at the Takeshi's:  
  
"Oh my God, you guys, come here! Look at this!" Kari shouted. The mirror had just flown out of its spot to levitate in the middle of the room, only this time the glow around it turned an opaque black. The mirror could hardly be seen through the foggy glow. The four girls stared at it curiously.  
  
"What does it mean?" Whispered Tess. The cats were not home, or they would've had an answer, maybe.  
  
"I don't know. It can't be good though... That, that blackness! It looks so evil," said Ren, shivering. Kari's eyebrows shot up.   
  
"Well, yeah, it's definitely creepy, but evil? Come on, Ren, you said so yourself, that mirror's connected to us somehow, and we are certainly not evil," she said. Still, Ren couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Ariana chewed her lip thoughtfully.  
  
"I think we should call Nem. She got called to the office and no one's seen her since," she said. Kari leaned over and got the cordless phone off her desk, then dialed. Nem picked up the phone in her room after only one ring. She must've been in the room.  
  
"Hi, Nem. What's up?" Kari asked. The other girls crowded around to try and hear the conversation. Kari's brow furled as she listened intently to whatever Nem was saying. She gasped.  
  
"Nem, no! They can't do that!" The three girls still in the dark began clamoring to know what was wrong.  
  
"Ohh, we'll fix this, somehow. There's got to be a way," Kari said, her voice sounding slightly doubtful. "Well, I'll let you go for now. We'll come over tomorrow, after school, ok?" Then she hung up. Ana, Ren, and Tess practically jumped her. Kari explained the whole thing. Tess began to cry.  
  
"How could this happen? We know it's not hers, but where'd it come from? And WHY?" Asked Ariana. Everyone shrugged.   
  
"She leaves the day after tomorrow, her parents made the arrangements tonight," Kari said, sighing. With all this new commotion, the mirror had been forgotten. It had, by now, returned to its blue glow and was lying on the floor. 


	13. Very Strange

Anemone wiped her bleary eyes with a tissue and struggled not to resume her crying. She would be arriving at the school soon, and wanted to look somewhat presentable. While on the train, she'd had time to do a lot of thinking, her conclusion: Darien had to have put the crack there. It was the only explanation. Who else would've wanted her gone? Someone who knew who they were. If it was Darien, and he did know, Nem was fearful for her friends.   
  
Just then, a whistle blew. Anemone gathered her things and started from the cabin. There were people who would've beeen considered guards if the school had been a jail waiting for them. They looked very nice; maybe this wouldn't be so bad. The school came in to view shortly thereafter, as the bus made a left on to the grounds. The buildings were all brick, the administration offices were in the center, the school was to the left of it. The dormitories were to the right. The girls stayed on one side of the building, main rooms were in the middle (kitchens, dining rooms, etc), and the boys were on the other side of these. A very tall, pretty brunette woman waited for them. As each teenager got off the bus, she noted where on the grounds they were to go first. Nem was put with "admin." The woman led this group to the central building and a short, balding male receptionist made them all wait to go in to the office. When it was Anemone's turn, she went cautiously.  
  
"So, you're here for drug possession," the woman said, giving Nem a stern look.   
  
"Yeah, but it wasn't mine," she said cooly. She'd accepted that no one believed her, but she still maintained her innocence. "If you checked me, I don't use."  
  
"There are rare cases where dealers don't use. Very rare, but they happen. We'll see." The woman, Ms. Greary, seemed like she almost wanted to believe her, but didn't. Anemone still didn't think she'd mind all this much, and that they would soon realize their mistake and she'd be sent home. After exchanging a few more words, Nem was allowed to be escorted to the dorm. She was given the room at the far end of the hall on the third floor, 317. She didn't have a roommate, but would apparently be getting one next week. She surveyed the room. Gray carpets, lighter gray walls. Perfect. There were two beds in the room, dressers, a table. Nothing fancy. Nem actually liked it, but thought it could use some personal touches. She was just "redecorating" when there was a knock at the door and a voice told her it was time for dinner. She slowly made her way to the food hall and got her plate. Nem noticed an empty seat next to a big guy and quickly sat down. The kid turned and gave her a low growl.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked. Nem cocked her head thoughtfully.  
  
"It looks like I'm sitting down, but I suppose that's open to interpretation," she said calmly, then flashed him a big smile. Nem was not frightened; after the fight with Stenn, mortals didn't have much affect on her anymore.  
  
"That's true, because it looks to me like you're sitting in my seat," a male voice said cooly from behind her. Nem turned slowly to glance up into a pair of icy light green eyes. She stared.  
  
"Excuse me, I didn't know the seats here were assigned," she stated, as she stood up. Nem didn't want to be in their company anyway. She sat down by herself at a different table, but she had a clear view of her former seat.  
  
The green-eyed boy had sandy blond hair, and was about 5' 7". He sat down next to the bigger boy. Anemone thought he looked like someone with their bodyguard. Shaking her head in disgust, she quickly finished her meal and went back to her room.   
  
~*~  
  
"Hi, Serena, thanks for inviting us," said Ren, as she walked up to the group of girls near the trees. The blond smiled in response.  
  
"My pleasure, guys... C'mon, we've got a lot of good food to get rid of, Lita made it!" She said. "Where's Anemone?" The four girls grimaced.  
  
"Nem's indisposed of for a while..." Kari said, trailing off. Shrugging, Mina ushered the girls down the park trail. Ren chose her words carefully.  
  
"Where's Darien, Serena? I thought someone said he was coming," she said, innocently. Serena's face clouded.   
  
"He couldn't make it. Said something about work of some sort he needed to finish," she replied, trying to keep the pain from her voice. Everyone had brought their cats... Hoshi, Eclipse, and Diana had gone off with Luna and Artemis. This worried the four girls. What were they finding out?   
  
The picnic continued without any other upsetting thoughts. They were about to delve into the strawberry cream pie when the cats came running towards them.  
  
"SERENA!!! GIRLS!!!" shouted Luna and Artemis, as Hoshi and Eclipse shouted for Ren and her friends. On instinct, all 9 girls transformed.   
  
~*~  
  
Anemone had just finished putting up her glow-in-the-dark stars when a horrible pain flashed over her head. She collapsed to her knees and gasped at the vision she saw.   
  
"Noo!!! Ren!!!!" she screamed, before she passed out. Ten minutes, later she woke up in Mrs. Greary's office, with a compress over her head and at least 5 people peering over her.  
  
"Anemone? Are you all right? Want to tell us what happened?" Mrs. Greary asked, softly. Nem was trembling.   
  
~*~  
  
Serena didn't have time to question the four new girls about this sudden change of events because at that moment, a monstrous, slimy, black creature chose to appear from the woods. It roared. Serena's face flashed with fear for a second or two, but she stood her ground.   
  
Before anyone could do anything, Ami shot out a Mercury Ice Storm. The beast howled, but kept slowly advancing towards the girls. They scattered, determined to take down this thing. It stopped and looked around from girl to girl. Apparently, it wasn't too bright. Serena and Ren had run towards the trees and turned to look at it. The other girls had run towards different areas of the trees.   
  
The creature began approaching Ren and Serena. The other girls tried their various attacks, but it seemed like nothing could stop the monster. Before it reached them, Ren tried her Gravity attack, and Serena managed to make the monster pause with her Moon Tiara Power. By now, it had reached the two girls. The other seven launched an all-out massive attack at one time, and this injured the creature. Howling in pain, it quickly snatched the two girls and disappeared with them. The seven ran to where the other two had just been standing. There was no trace of them.  
  
~*~  
  
"I have to call home! No, no, no, no... Ren!! Serena!! This can't be happening!! Please! Just let me call? They've got to be all right!" Anemone was stammering. They gave her the phone. There was no answer. Nem broke down in tears.   
  
"It's true," she whispered. "It happened."  
  
"Anemone, what happened?" Mrs. Greary asked, patiently. Nem took a deep breath to bring herself to her senses and give her time to think up something somewhat plausible.  
  
"I was decorating my room, and I must've gotten dizzy because I got a splitting headache, and had a terrible idea that, um, well, that one of my friends was kidnapped. I panicked and thought it was real." Well, that wasn't too bad. The truth was so incredible, they were bound to think she was lying. She had at least left out the part that she knew her friend really HAD been kidnapped. She hoped they didn't investigate anything and find out she was right. Allowed to leave, Nem walked numbly out of the office.   
  
Anemone pulled her cellphone from her pocket. Thank God for modern technology, and that they had let her keep it. She dialed Kari's cell.   
  
"Come on, answer," she mumbled, pausing on the front lawn.   
  
"Hello?" A tearful Kari picked up.  
  
"Kari?! They're gone, aren't they?" Anemone asked anxiously, her throat tightening. Kari had nodded, but Nem didn't know that.  
"Yeah. We went to that picnic, and this, this... THING just came and took them, they all disappeared. We tried everything. Nothing could stop it," Kari's voice was dull and flat.   
  
"What are we going to do?" Nem whispered. "If I could come home we could think of something, together, but with me stuck out here... We'll think of something. We'll get them back. At least we know who sent whatever that was."   
  
"Yeah. I have to go, I don't know what we're going to tell the Takeshi's!" Kari said, hanging up. Nem laughed. Nem heard a noise behind her and turned, defensively. The green-eyed boy from lunch was standing behind her, his face unreadable. Nem narrowed her eyes.  
  
"How much did you hear?" He smirked.   
  
"Enough. You claim you aren't a druggie. I believe you. But I don't want to know what you really are," the boy said snidely. At this, Nem's temper flared. She stalked up to him.  
  
"Who do you think you are? You're in this boarding school, just like I am. You're not better than me. If you think you are, you've got another thing coming. If you had ANY idea what I have to go through for people like YOU, you'd think twice about EVER even talking to me!" Anemone stormed off to her dorm. The boy was left standing with his mouth open staring after her, completely bewildered.   
  
At lunch the next day, the boy and his bodyguard approached Anemone. She eyed them wearily, not in the mood for a fight. She was still drained from her last vision and what had happened. They sat down across from her.   
  
"We owe you an apology," said the smaller boy. His friend nodded. Nem's eyes widened; she hadn't been expecting this.   
  
"Could we just start over?" Nem smiled.  
  
"Sure. I'm Anemone Marcellin, but you can call me Nem," she said. Nem was never one to hold a grudge.  
  
"I'm Neil Werner, and this is Gabriel Solon," the boy said, then motioned to the brown-haired bodyguard. 


End file.
